Tag Archives: Kenya

A place of dreams, hope and resilience

African photography is on the rise. Following decades of photographic misrepresentation by observers from outside the continent, African photographers are now showing the world what they see through their lens. This is Africa spotlights them in a series of interviews.

Having recently worked in Kenya -his home country-, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Angola, Burundi, Congo (Brazzaville) and South Africa, it’s fair to say that photographer Felix Masi  is a good example of a professional that knows what’s going on in his continent. He is an award winning independent photojournalist who has seen the challenges and big changes of his country and continent; a child born in poverty who faced his fears and decided to point his camera towards them. “I’m confronting the social ills that has been the face of this continent only known for it’s tragedies”, Felix explains. Through my photography I try to divert from what in commonly known in foreign eyes as the 3Ds: death, disease and despair.  Africa is so different than that.”

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Tourists

Felix understands that telling an unbiased and truthful story is by no means easy, but he accepts that challenge gratefully. “Most of the stories about our continent have been told by foreigners; first journalists flying in for a news story and nowadays more and more by tourists who have no idea or understanding of Africa and it’s country’s they transit through while on vacation. The problem is that they all have a blog, social media and smartphone for instant updates – which is fine – but the problem is that their stories are not a true representation of reality and are mostly one sided. Yet they get send into the world and judged by others who know even less.”

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Big steps

His international experience has enabled Felix to stand up and walk tall and tell the African tale from a personal point of view, as he holds his motherland close to my heart. Many countries have a fast growing economy and are booming, a subject he likes to capture and emphasize. “Countries like Kenya and Nigeria are ahead when it comes to technological advances and Nairobi and Lagos count as hubs for international photography. We’re making big steps forward, but also still have a long way to go. That’s why it’s important to photograph a ‘New Africa’ and instead of going to the slums in those cities focus on the banking, IT and other progressive businesses. Positive stories, though it’s easier to sell a negative images. That is the part which needs to change and what I’m fighting for with my photography.”

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Hardship

The African story can perfectly be told by Africans themselves according to Felix. Those who have lived to see the change of their continent and would wish to see the same on every screen, in every paper and every magazine. “It’s time we told our own tale, but I have to admit that photographing in some African countries isn’t easy. In Angela or the DRC for example – where I currently live – it can be a painstakingly exercise. People are paranoid for cameras because of memories from old regimes; think you portray the wrong thing and want to harm them. That’s one of the reasons it’s also hard to show the change and hope in photography there. And then I’m not even talking about areas of north-east Africa where rebels are in power and it’s practically impossible to photograph without risking your life. However, those untold stories are just as important and can give a balanced view of the continent.

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Hope

Felix recently was surprised when an NGO asked him to shoot a positive series about his home country, but it’s the way forward he says. “All these success stories are due to modern technology which has ignited the (mostly) young and old in living the African dream and confronting the cliches painted by foreign media.” Having taken thousands of images and traveling all over the world throughout his freelance career Felix sees the African continent as a cradle of hope for humankind. “The awakening continent where all it’s people, of all shapes and sizes will rise up and be respected wherever they go because they are united and carry the pride of being the success story of the soil”, he says. “I’m a strong believer in the growth of our continent and I’m not turning back. I want to be part of this success story. Through my lens I have seen and captured amazing dreams, hope and resilience. Africa is making huge leaps forward, so if you thought Africa was a poor place: think again.”

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Barbara Minishi is exploring her own ‘unique visual DNA’

African photography is on the rise. From street to art photography, conceptual and documentary to fashion photography, homegrown photographers (not only in the Francophone-African countries) are increasingly stepping up to show their world what they see when they look through the lens, following decades of photographic misrepresentation, or reduction, by observers from outside the continent.

Barbara Minishi shoots from instinct. ‘I immerse myself in my work and stay open to surprises’, she explains. ‘It’s easy to get set in a particular way of doing things, but I find that by following what I’m curious and excited about, and therefore what challenges me, I grow.’ What she’s scared about, the unknown, for instance, galvanises her. ‘That fear, a certain kind of vulnerability is necessary.’

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Minishi first came in contact with photography at an early age, when she played around with her father’s camera. At university she primarily shot as a way to avoid participating in other activities, but her work got noticed by the uni’s PR-department and she got hired as a photographer for the school paper. ‘I didn’t realise it was what I really wanted to do as a career until I had a ‘eureka!’ moment a week after graduation. I realised photography was what drove me and held my interest. With it I had a voice and could focus on the subjects I wanted to show the world.’

After an internship with one of the few photographers in Nairobi with whom she shared the same vision with respect to photography, Minishi started shooting her own documentary stories, teaching and challenging herself by just doing it because the schools to which she applied for further training charged steep fees. ‘Photography is a daily learning process that I got on Nairobi’s streets’, says Minishi. ‘I just love watching, observing and noticing, witnessing the ordinary and capturing that. Whether it be in fashion, commercial, documentary, art or portraiture, I relish the act of creating a strong constructive element, the ability to tell stories, the freedom to explore concepts and to challenge clichés.’ Photography is for her Minishi a playground that provides her with an audience and a chance to re-imagine, connect and learn.

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‘There are no proper schools of photography here in Kenya, but I feel the concept of visual literacy needs to be incorporated into our educational system as we are all sensitive to visual nuance and sometimes images get misconstrued.’

While she isn’t solely concerned with changing opinions, she does find it odd whenever someone says her images “don’t look Kenyan,” particularly as Kenya is where she grew up and went to school, and she mostly shoots Kenyans in Kenya. ‘Some people get really surprised by the calibre of my work, and by my aesthetic and manner of working, and assume it’s because of foreign influences. However, it’s the opposite that’s true. I focus on different subjects, and I think these do not automatically equate to being in one place. Sometimes getting out of your zone or circle of influence provides the opportunity to look at things from a different way.’

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About one thing Minishi is really clear: that her vision is not based on a quest. People can interpret her work however they want, whether they choose to view it as a sort of movement or not. ‘It’s their assumption but not my reality,’ she points out. ‘Maybe it’s because for too long a certain kind of image of Africa was mostly seen and now that there are more and more African photographers doing their own visionary work the rest of the world is starting to notice and calling it as a ‘quest’. I don’t think it is. I believe it’s simply photographers doing what they want to do and more people being receptive to our work.’ As a result she feels people sometimes get stuck discussing and analysing viewpoints about photography from Africa and forget that life is going on. ‘I would rather shoot more quality photographs than talk about the lopsided view. I’m really not concerned about cementing myself in the past.’

Sometimes however the rising photographer feels that she does get stuck in a ‘victim’ mentality as she talks too much about the past and external negative factors. ‘I forget that we are in the present, the now. Of course there’s history, but I can’t carry this around like excess luggage all the time and use it to justify how and why I shoot images. I have learned from it and still do, but don’t want to stay focused on it anymore. Learn from the past and move on, just like you deal with other difficulties. Use it to your advantage!’ No wonder her aim is to broaden her horizon and work worldwide, a goal she’s clearly already taking little steps towards.

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Asked how she’d like to portray Kenya, she shrugs: ‘Kenya is what it is. Truth is subjective and my truth is not necessarily that of others. So I don’t want to concoct any kind of image about my country.’ Her opinion about the development and limitations of photography in Kenya are just as clear: ‘Limitations exist based on an individual and how they view the world’, she says. ‘Pondering it doesn’t change anything and with the resources I have I am developing myself as best as I can. Of course I don’t have all the equipment, tools, or access or outreach I want, but this doesn’t stop me. I do what I can with what I have.‘ Whether the continent’s rising economy is being reflected in the popularity of photography in Kenya is for her also a non-issue: ‘It has always been popular in Africa, irrespective of the economical status. Same for Kenya.’

She sees the photography scene growing nonetheless, and she finds it ‘exciting and dynamic’. But she is careful about looking at other photographers’ work, in order to stay unique. ‘The challenge is always to create a cohesive story. Sometimes it happens, other times not.’ That there is a difference in the way situations are portrayed is natural, she believes. ‘Some people choose one angle, others another. I’m not grading another photographers work on what they may have failed to see and then take it on as my responsibility to get another opinion out to the international market.‘ And it’s not solely an African or non-African issue. ‘Both have their own failures, and I know that there are also foreigners who are indeed telling honest and beautiful stories about our continent.’

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Minishi stresses the point that her aim is not expressly to be different from other Kenyan or foreign photographers for the sake of standing out. Rather, it’s a lifelong process of exploring her own ‘unique visual DNA’. ‘I believe following what you are attracted to irrespective of what others say or do is the way to work. Of course you can learn from constructive criticism and get inspired by others photographers’ work, but I think it’s brilliant to have our different backgrounds influence our storytelling.’ What that will mean for her in the future is unknown. ‘The present is changing as the seconds tick by’, she says. ‘Therefore I focus on growing now, exploring and developing my vision on Kenya and the way to show this to the outside world though all manners possible.’

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