‘The suffering is only intolerable when nobody cares’ – said founder Dame Cicely Sanders
Photos focusing on stories and perspectives on death from across the world are to make up a new exhibition at St Christopher’s Centre for Awareness & Response to End of Life (CARE) in Sydenham.
Ubuntu is curated by the Dutch photographer and visual educator Corinne Noordenbos, and features photos of Brazilian photographer André François’s encounters with different communities from across two decades with a focus on stories of dying and healthcare.
From the Yanomami Indigenous area in Brazil and how they perceive the end of life; with Haitians after the earthquake in 2010; a palliative care hospice in Uganda; and in an acute São Paulo hospital at the peak of the pandemic with health professionals and patients.
The term Ubuntu has its origins in an African philosophy, which focuses on humanity, belonging and community. ‘Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu’, a Zulu proverb, explains it well: ‘A person is a person through other persons.’ You are who you are because of the relationship you have with others around you. Or simply: I am because we are.
Both François and his collaborator Paula Poleto cite Dame Cicely Saunders – who started the global hospice movement with the opening of St Christopher’s in 1967 – as a major influence on their thinking and the way they work.
One photograph features a man dying of COVID-19 in a hospital bed with a doctor in PPE holding his hand, illustrating one of Dame Cicely’s best-known quotes: “The suffering is only intolerable when nobody cares.”
The more than 40 images are taken from François’s 2022 book ‘Ubuntu – I am because we are’. The book is a journey taken around 15 countries where Francois was inspired by communities working on education, health, and culture.
St Christopher’s, which has sites in Sydenham and Orpington, was founded in 1967 by Dame Cicely Sanders.
The charity supports almost 2,000 South Londoners monthly, including more than 400 children in bereavement, despite only being partially NHS-funded.
Each year St Christopher’s needs to raise more than £16m to continue providing support and care for those in the community.
St Christopher’s Community Artist Toby Kilby-Pollard says: “This is a dream project for St Christopher’s and our community.
“We’re always looking for effective ways to tell stories that illustrate what palliative care is across the world and how different communities and cultures approach end of life.
“We know how important Dame Cicely’s legacy is across the world and we’re so proud to show these photographs as we also mark the 20th anniversary of her death.”
André François says: “We have a lot to learn from these people and how they cope with death and hardship.
“Death is a big learning process. Death is devastating but it is also a great master that teaches us a lot about what life is really all about – what matters in the here and now. The moments in life when I have felt most alive is when I was around death.
“When visiting a community you have to establish a connection and get to know the people. Once people realise the purpose of what we’re doing, even though they are facing death, they are willing to cooperate so we can tell this great story. That’s where we feel the Ubuntu philosophy is present.
“The moment you are dying is very personal but if we have developed that level of connection then we are working together and we just become a part of the scene – present.
“I am so proud to have these photographs shown at the place where palliative care began – at St Christopher’s.
“People tell us they feel emotional about the photographs but what stays with them is the connection, the care and community – I hope that is the case also at St Christopher’s.”
Ubuntu is free to visit and will be on display during weekdays 9-5PM at St Christopher’s CARE, 51-59 Lawrie Park Road, London, SE26 6DZ from Friday 4 July until Friday 24 October 2025.
