BEAUTY, BRICKS AND FIRE

My first real photography project since life as we know it changed in a big way. The withdrawal symptoms have been intense and palpable so this was absolute therapy for me.

Few things come close to the flow of creation and Joanne Ball-Burgess was just the right person to go there with.

We found an abandoned house and I couldn't have asked for a better location. There's something about the blend of perfection and imperfection that fascinates me. It's probably how we would describe life right now. Gems amid the Chaos.

Also, check out the video Joanne released - BOOM BOOM BOW -and spot some of the fire shots.

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BEHIND THE MASK

Behind every mask lies a unique story waiting to be told.
This is a journal of the real life tales that will make history long after Covid 19 is history.
It’s about the limitless strength, resilience and sheer will of humans to overcome anything.

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BEHIND THE MASK – Malik Rashid, 25 yrs Old

Security Guard in Westlands

I’m not married, no kids, but I have a girlfriend. We don’t live together but that will change as soon as this pandemic is over. I currently earn KES 9,000 ($90) per month. Before I started working here as a security guard, I was supplying goods to Supermarkets at a salary of KES 15,000 ($150) but I lost my job in February 2020. One of the managers was embezzling money so the company closed down. A week later, I got this job.

The toughest part of this pandemic is the high cost of living while our salaries stay low. I pay KES 3,000 ($30) rent, save KES 3,000 ($30), send KES 1,000 ($10) to my mother and the remaining KES 2,000 ($20) I use for everything else. I walk to work and keep my costs low. It’s the only way I can make ends meet.

I have hope for the future. Once Corona is over, everything will get back to normal and we can move forward. I’ll look for another job because this is not the job I wanted to do. If I could study food production and work in a big hotel I’d be very happy.
What keeps me going is my goals. Mine is to build my dream home and I’m saving up for it. I can’t wait for travel restrictions to be lifted so I can start.
My last words would be for Kenyans not to take any job for granted. Do whichever job that pays the bills for now and you can do what you want when Corona is over. Be humble and do whatever you have to do to reach your goals. Don’t look at what job you were doing before and look down on the opportunities in front of you right now.

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BEHIND THE MASK - Akinyi Achieng, 27

Fish Seller somewhere along Rhapta Road

I’m always cooking inside the shop because we’re not allowed to be here serving people in the first place. City council will come around twice a week harassing us so we have to pretend it’s just the normal shop operating. What other choice do we have? If we rely on the shop only, we’re done. We have to continue cooking as well.

(She continues spinning chapatis on the pan)

Let me tell you, Corona is real and it’s scary but so is hunger and poverty. At the end of the day, life must move on. If you go to Western Kenya where I come from, girls in class seven are being lured into prostitution because their parents don’t have money so the girls are left vulnerable. These old men seduce them with money and infect them with HIV because the girls won’t insist on protection.

There’s Corona and then there’s another pandemic which is poverty and hunger.

Why am I happy all the time? Because that’s just who I am and nothing can change that. I’m the one that keeps this place lively. If I’m not here one day, everyone asks where I am.

Yes, you can take the picture, then send me 500. There’s nothing for free.

(She laughs from the depths of her belly)

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BEHIND THE MASK
Lucas Osore Nyahombe,
69 years

Man with a cup at Westlands Post Office

"I know every voice that says hallo but I’ve never heard yours. Why haven’t you said hallo before? The other day, one guy came by, took pictures, said he’ll help me and I never heard from him again. I tried to call him but he did not pick up. I only trust in God.

I was born in Alego, Siaya in 1951. Obama is from the East, I’m from the West. In 1956, after misunderstandings with my father, my mother ran back to her family. At around the same time, there was a measles breakout where many children died and it blinded me.

I’ve since worked as a basket weaver, switch board operator, a broker selling wares to companies. I’ve had three wives. My first one left me after a few years and my second one was cheating and stealing from me. One day I dreamt of my mother saying that my third wife will be the one I stay with forever. The dream came true. I now have 5 children with my wife who is now in Siaya.

In 2006 after several failed business attempts, I started working here. I thought to myself, I’m not doing anyone any harm and it’s a legal way of making a living. This cup is my weapon. Since then, I have built a house for me and my wife in Siaya. I’ve also built one for my daughters and one for my sons right next to ours. They’re made of iron sheets and mud but they keep them sheltered. My only problem right now is my son who has just finished high school and I want him to go to a technical university. He’s interested in Electrical Engineering. For now, he’s working as a watchman earning 8,000 ($80) a month and we’re hoping for God’s grace.

Before Corona I used to get at least 2,000 ($20) on Saturdays and on Sunday 3,000 ($30) because people are more generous on God’s day. Some say let me give some offering and see how my day goes. Nowadays I get 300 ($3) per day when I’m lucky. I use 80 ($0.8) to get home in the evening and 100 ($1) to get here in the morning which leaves me with 120 shillings ($1.20) for rent food and everything else.

The friend I did business with many years ago is the one who cooks for me. He takes care of me because he remembers how I helped him when business was good.

I’m hoping that a vaccine is found so we can go back to life as usual. What motivates me is faith in God. As I sit here, I don’t get money for hours or days on end sometimes, but I know that it will come. When I come here I have no worries, the money brings itself. Yesterday for example, I was shaking my cup from 7am to 8pm without much. At around 8:30pm before leaving, an Indian man came and gave me 1,200 shillings ($12)

So relax, things come when they come, not when you want.

I had to persevere 2 failed marriages before I found a permanent one."

Pleese follow the official page.
https://www.facebook.com/behindthemaskafrica/

FROM STANDING ERECT, TO KEEPING UP WITH THE KARDASHIANS

I’m a low-key introvert photographer and writer that loves to tell stories from behind the lens and on paper. As I write this, I’ve just finished a 9-hour photo shoot and the most memorable part of it was not the shoot itself to be honest, it’s the behind the scenes videos I took and shared on my social media platforms. I’d be lying if I said that it came naturally to me. No. It was me replicating what homo sapiens have done since we got out of the oceans, onto land, stood up straight, got out of the food chain, onto the agricultural revolution, to the industrial revolution, to watching Keeping up with the Kardashians online. I was adapting. Also, I never understood what people gain by watching others living their lives but to each their own.

Back to the future. On my blog last week, ‘Creativity in the age of A.I’ I insisted that to survive in the future of Artificial Intelligence, we’ll have to adapt especially in how we do business. A few years ago. We saw the Taxi industry disrupted in a way we never thought possible. Uber came like a thief in the night and shook the hell out of complacency. The smart taxi owners who jumped in from the get go were earning upwards of 50 dollars to 100 dollars a day. Not bad for one day of moving people from point A to B without having to bathe them or give low key foot rubs.

On a larger scale, Jeff Bezos it touted to become the world’s first trillionaire thanks to the world staying home and shopping till the cows come home. If ever you needed a sign pointing you to where the world is headed, there you have it. While most of the world is reeling in fear, uncertainty and anxiety, some are setting themselves up for world domination through touch screens and data.  

So here I am, camera in hand, phone in the other, clicking and sharing my journey in the hopes of adding value to whoever is watching. There will come a point where no matter what business you’re in, you’ll need to scale your passion and business online. Gary Vaynerchuk is the best example of entrepreneurs who know what’s coming. Sharing 5-6 pieces of content everyday on all platforms including Tik Tok. I recently asked my guy friend Melvin if he’s on Tik Tok and he responded, “Nah bruh, I don’t have a Fallopian Tube.” I have not embellished that statement one bit, neither have I changed his real name because he deserves this. I digress. Check out Gary Vaynerchuk on YouTube for a glimpse of what you need to start doing right now if you want to stay relevant in the 21st century.

Yuval Noah Harari, author of ‘21 lessons for the 21st Century,’ says the two main skills we’ll need to survive the future will be emotional intelligence and mental balance. The resilience to overcome whatever life throws at you while navigating the emotional roller coaster that comes with it. Beyond finding out what our passions are, and figuring out how to make them future relevant, we’ll need the mental fortitude to face change. There will be more lay-offs, this will probably be the worst economic downturn since the 1929 great depression but that doesn’t mean you won’t have a way around it. With the right mind set, knowledge and tools, we’ll make it through this together.   

Besides, what better time to reinvent ourselves than this. Sometimes, it’s the dark moments that give us our brightest insights.

Stay motivated, stay curious, because this is going to be one hell of a ride.
See you on the flipside.  

A PORTRAIT OF FRANCIS THE FLOWER SELLER

There he was. Standing out like tall poppy in a field of hawkers selling flowers. It’s valentines day and I almost forgot to get some petals that would appease my girlfriend. I see Francis and I know right there and then that he’s the guy. I tell him I’ll buy from him as long as I get a portrait of him and he abides straight away.

Someone asked me how I get all these portraits of strangers and the answer was simple. I simply ask. However, it’s only fair that you take and give. Francis was more than willing to show me his truth but after a few shots I could tell he was getting restless and wanted to get back to work. The sunset only gave us a few minutes of bliss anyway.

At the end of this day, I realized it wasn’t the striking features on Francis that stuck with me. It was his state of contentment. Even though life was tough, he did sold flowers on the streets with dignity and made people's days brighter. This is the beauty of photography. It’s the people you meet and the experiences you create. It way more than the click. It’s life.

You’ll most likely find Francis selling flowers Opposite Oilibya, Westlands. Go make his day and he’ll make yours with a bunch of roses and a genuine heart.