Images of Kibera Constructing images of Kibera the
Images of Kibera Constructing images of Kibera - the biggest slum of Nairobi, by its residents Aleksandra Gutowska Institute of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology Warsaw University
About Research - Research participants: 10 Kibera residents; - Aim of the research: How do Kibera residents describe this place and themselves through the process of taking photos and while talking about them with the researcher; - Research task: please take photos of people, places and things in Kibera which are important to you; - Research timeframe: August – October 2016;
Remarks on research • Each person took from around twelve to more than one hundred photos; • For most of research participants it was one of a few moments when they had cameras and could make use of it; • Some of research participants had some technical problems; • They made reference to the research task while talking to the researcher not while taking the photos; • Each conversation about photos lasted from around 15 to 60 minutes; • A few categories of stories can be distinguished: about Kibera, about life in Kibera, about work and earning money, about education and about home;
That place must have an identity, and its identity is in the name. To me Kibera is home, is urban, to me Kibera is rural, to me Kibera is town, it is slum, to me Kibera is opportunity, to me Kibera is a challenge.
Now you are entering Kibera, so you will not see what you see on TV or what you get to hear on newspaper, because you know they always say that good news is not that good, so you will read about negative stuff […] but for you to get first hand information, you always have to get it yourself. So it is to show you that you are entering a place which is more vibrant, more colorfull wit very happy people and very welcoming.
This is the place that I call home, this is where I was born and raised, this is where I sleep, this is where I do most of the things.
You know it is transition kind of thing, before the smartphones we used to use cyber cafes. We still use them for heavy downloading, because you cannot download every stuff on this, so you always find your way back to cyber cafes […] they are oldschool, but you know, Old is gold, New is silver.
In Kenya we have our mobile phone to use as talking and also as wallet, so M-Pesa shop is where you can deposit your money to your phone and also receive or withdraw your money from your phone […] It is important because it is participating in reducing robbery, when you walk with cash in your pocket, it increases the robbery, when you have your cash in your phone it is hard to be robbed.
This is the church where I go to to this extent to get some spiritual satisfaction, interact with my members of the church, the pastor, reading the bible, singing with the choir, and generally talking about life in terms of spiritual point of view.
This is a small space within my compound, where if I need to meet my community we always gather here, we meet, we talk and we are having special events like meetings. If maybe people want to hold like funeral meetings or for contribution purposes, we can gather at this field and proceed with whatever we are having.
On the photo we have different variety of products, ranging from hard foods to the soft foods. These are common foods consumed by the people of Kibera because they are cheap and when you eat them they can stay for long time in your stomach without feeling hungry.
It is a walking nation, because we walk a lot… have you ever been to Kibera very early in the morning? Like at 6? Try and you will see why it is a walking nation, so people walk not because they cannot afford the transport but because they are trying to save a little bit, maybe there is something that they want to do in future, maybe the money you are earning is not enough so you always try to cut the budget.
People sell vegetables, bananas, so I'm saying – you cannot stay idle. If you have something in mind, you can do something, because you can create your own job, if you are not employed, like our lady there selling bananas.
There was a workshop I went and we were told if you want to move on with your life and if something is not bringing enough money for you – you have to look for another job, so that you can feel up your tank or your needs.
The next photo is trash in the slum, this trash contain different material in it, we have plastic bags which later are collected by woman groups who put them in the bags which our women use, the same trash also have different small pieces of bones which we collect and recycle and use them to get money. Trash is cash!
Another photo is a nice view of Kibera slums. This photo is important because it has two different lifestyles, the first lifestyle is chocolate roofs of the slum, when you are staying inside these houses you are motivated. When you are looking the other side of the view so you can stay inside those bad houses but you are having motivation or vision to move from these houses to nicer houses.
This is my primary school where I started my journey for searching education and knowledge.
I am living in a slum and I am a graduate, I have a degree, that does not make me special but I am living in a slum, so this means a lot.
I was in London, not just in London, in one of most prestigious Universities called London School of Economics and Political Science, where I got a training three weeks, and that training was worth 2 millions, so when I see this cup I remember somebody invested 2 million in my head.
This is called Lucas Palace. This is my palace, number 3, not number 1, number 2 or number 5 but number 3, beautifull palace, so I was staying in this wooden house for over 30 years […] When time comes, I will move from Nairobi, because when I get old, I will not die here, I will, I pray god, I will die in my home area… yeah that’s my palace in Kibera, the wooden house.
At the end of the day, you have to go back to your upcountry, this is the bus which takes you back home.
How do Kibera residents describe this place and themselves? They use mainly stories They want to deconstruct the negative image(s) of this place: By negation: „you will not see what you see on TV or what you get to hear on newspaper”; By showing that sth negative is positive: „Kibera is opportunity”, „trash is cash”; …but you are having motivation or vision to move They describe their daily life as a part of ‚slum culture’; They stress the importance of education and work in their life; They underline that they are ambitious, resiliant and hard working; …however their home is somewhere else
My name is Bryan Jaybee, born Brian Otieno, freelance photojournalist with a base in Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya. I take photos of people and places to show their potential and life […] I want to capture the visual realities of life from the people around me and beyond, and be able to help to understand what’s going on in their lives by creating a visual and unique point of view through photography. Source: http: //kiberastories. tumblr. com/
The slum is really a heaven when growing up. It widens your scope. But as you go on with life, you realize it’s about time to move out. Enough of the chaos and the lessons. #Kibera. Stories
It’s dinner time in Kibera. This is the typical table setup for this most important night time meal. This photo shows a plate of Sukuma Wiki and fried eggs being accompanied by ugali. Sukuma Wiki is the most easily available meal around - at most times acting as the main course with ugali but sometimes simply as a dessert. Very few people would go to sleep on empty stomachs. #Kibera. Stories
People gathered at Kibera’s socio-political Kamukunji grounds during a sporting and entertainment event hosted by Kibera Town Center and Kentrack Ent. The event was aimed at promoting peace and giving a platform to artists in Kibera to explore their talents in music, poetry and dancing. #Kibera. Stories
The true nation builders are up, and on their daily most dreaded routine, are heading to the city centre - a breeding ground for all hope and retrieval - ready for another day of sweat and dust. #Kibera. Stories
The rooftops of Kibera’s Toi Market spreading end to end, a biz-hub to over 5000 traders selling clothes, vegetables and many other accessories - Nairobi’s most famous open air market place after Gikomba. #Kibera. Stories
A woman setting up her small scale grocery business in the mid afternoon heat of Kibera. Most of the small scale businesses are operated by women, majority are food vendors. #Kibera. Stories
Hustle time for kids in Soweto West. Looking for anything of value over the large trails of garbage that is being burnt so that they can sell to the local scrap dealers and get some money for playing PS 2. #Kibera. Stories
“I got a straight A of 81 points in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) and am really happy, just forwarded the text to my mother and she’s like today we are going to eat chicken. I wasn’t really expecting this… In school I wasn’t always a top student, I was just in between. My dream is to study aeronautical engineering, I wanted to go to a university in China called Shenyang Aerospace University or MIT in the US because those are the leading higher learning institutions that offer aeronautical engineering, in Kenya maybe Technical University or JKUAT because they are the best locally. ” Austine Wade #Kibera. Stories
“Poverty really isn’t the lack of wealth, it’s the mentality. There are so many well-off people living in the slum, they can just decide to move out anytime. But they choose to stay. ” #Kibera. Stories
How do Bryan Jaybee describe Kibera and its residents? He uses mainly photos He wants to deconstruct the negative image(s) of this place: By showing that sth negative is positive: „slum is really a heaven when growing up, it widens your scope” …but Kibera equals hard lessons and chaos He describes daily life in Kibera as sth simlar to life in other parts of the city / country; He stresses the importance of education and work for Kibera residents; He underlines potential of Kibera residents that they are ambitious, resiliant and hard working; …Kibera is home to various people
Imagination is a social practice that plays a new and significant role in the postelectronic reality. It has become a part of ordinary and everyday life […] Imagination creates some common ideas that serve not only as a ground for escape but as also as well a fuel for action. At last imagination is a collective, transnational or postnational property of collectives which operate beyond boundaries (Appadurai, 2005: 6).
Website: www. imagesofkibera. com E-mail: kibera@imagesofkibera. com The project is funded by the National Science Centre, Poland. Agreement no: UMO-2015/19/N/HS 3/00496
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