If you’ve been following the activities of our Kenyan photographers on Instagram, Twitter and on their blogs, you’ve realized by now that they’re doing us proud! They’re changing the story of our country one photograph at a time. Before now, a google search of ‘Nairobi City’ would mostly bring out negativity and many of the photos would be slums, conflict, and if it gets better, some giraffe in the sunset.
Not any more. A google search of ‘Nairobi City’ now brings out beautiful photos of the cityscape at different times – dawn, full daylight, dusk and even at night. Photos which photographers like Mutua Matheka have gone up the tallest buildings and other different parts of the city with their cameras to capture. These photographers have taken to painting the city in different light and given life to the idea of Kenya telling her own story.
Mutua Matheka (@truthslinger) and other like minded photographers are not stopping at Kenya. In a bold project dubbed “Unscrambling Africa” Mutua, Lulu Kitololo (@lulukitololo), Joe Were (@jaydabliu), Josh Kisamwa (@joshkisamwa) are planning on traversing Southern Africa by road to capture images and bring out photographic and video stories. They’re seeking to disrupt even further misconceptions about Africa by exploring and documenting what defines urbanity across our continent.
The roadtrip will be from Nairobi to Durban and the team will bring out stories in terms of the African people, African architecture and African cultures and sub-cultures among other unique angles. The roadtrip will also give us, the eager audience a peek into how our neighbors live.
This is clearly a massive project and it ain’t cheap. The team would love it if we could be part of this by coming together to raise US$35,000. We also do not have a whole lot of time for this crowdfunding which will be ongoing only upto 24th December 2016.
The team believes in the importance of documenting Africa as Africans from an African perspective. They believe this is the beginning of an active documentation of African cities for future generations. Ours is to open our purse strings, chip in, sit back and learn about Africa through the roadtrip.
To be part of Unscrambling Africa, Mookh, read more about it and do the deed. You can also contact Mutua Matheka on
+254 719 250073 or on mutua.mutuamatheka.co.ke
