Johannesburg - In this brand-new Saturday Star photography series, Dr Cahi Takes Joburg, we feature the work of acclaimed Johannesburg dentist Dr. Norman Cahi.
Affectionately known as the “dentist to the stars,” Cahi has a quest for learning, a thirst for knowledge, and a deep interest in his roots and the history of his past.
It is this awareness and his passion for travel and a love for capturing moments in time which have taken him on a journey across colourful Joburg which he shares with his hundreds of friends and followers on social media each week.
Cahi has dedicated his life to oral healthcare for 40 years and is one of the pioneers for teeth whitening and cosmetic dentistry in South Africa.
Cahi, together with his daughter Chelsea, and prosthodontist brother, Emile, run the Cahi Dental & Prosthodontic Practice in Parktown North.
Most notably, the family has been working with the Miss SA Foundation for about seven years, after they were approached by beauty queen Claudia Henkel, who held the title in 2004 and has worked for the organisation to provide dental care to the finalists.
His job as a dentist is to make people smile, literally, but it is his love for photographing art, architecture and the beauty of Joburg, which he hopes will evoke a sense of nostalgia.
“I see and appreciate the beauty in everything – in nature and our environment. I admire art, architecture and getting a sense of the spirit of the community. But I feel sad and helpless when I see the homeless and hopeless. I am deeply moved when I see the poor, the downtrodden and the marginalised of our society.”
For this first series, Cahi travels from Sandton to Alexandra, one of the greatest paradoxes in the city of Gold as the riches of the suburbs quickly dissolves into the townships poverty and hardships.
But through Cahi’s images, we can also the beauty in the daily of Alexandra, from mesmorising sunsets, to businesses which have operated for decades, to littered streets greeted with the occurences of daily life.
Cahi’s photography also zooms in on creative business advertisements which are abundant in the suburb and well as the occasional message of hope and resilience.