The photograph taken by @Confidence — a South African sex worker — guide readers to the article I am someone, like everyone else’: A story about a migrant sex worker in Johannesburg, South Africa co – authored by Vanessa Klass and Elsa Oliveira.
Vanessa Klass is the pseudonym of a sex worker and an activist. She currently works as a sex work activist in Johannesburg, South Africa. In 2010, Vanessa participated in the participatory photo project entitled, ‘Working the City: Experiences of Migrant Women in Inner City Johannesburg’.
Elsa Oliveira is a PhD student the African Centre for Migration & Society (ACMS) at the University of the Witwatersrand located in Johannesburg, South Africa. She is interested in the areas of sexualities, gender, migration, and participatory arts-based methods. Since 2010, Elsa has been involved in a variety of participatory arts-based research projects with a variety of migrant populations, including sex work. In 2014, Elsa co-launched the MoVeProject at the ACMS as a way to explore, engage, and research the use of arts-based methods in research and examine the ways in which these participatory visual and narrative methodologies can (or not) contribute to social justice movements and public engagement. Elsa Oliveira has participated in the SPW training on Sexuality Research and Social Change, in 2013.