September - 2019

66 / PORTFOLIO / Photography
PORTFOLIO / 67
Dennis Andere is the current
Mr Kibera, a title he won at Mr
& Miss Kibera, a fashion and
beauty pageant. The annual
event promotes talent and
aims to encourage youths to be
responsible leaders in society.
“That’s the power of photography:
it can change lives”
Children swim in murky
waters that had formed
after heavy rains filled
a pit that had been left
open by road builders.
EVEN BEFORE Brian Otieno
studied journalism, he was taking
pictures on the streets of the place he
knows so well: Kibera. With his mobile
phone, he would capture the unique
aspects of his neighbourhood, such as
corrugated rooftops stretching end to
end as the sun set below them. “I would
walk around my community – with its
masses and movements – trying to discover
new places, and capture vibrant
moments of everyday life,” he says.
SLUM PHOTOGRAPHER
Otieno was born, and spent the first
24 years of his life, in Kibera. His former
neighbourhood, which attracts a lot of
visitors, is arguably the best-known slum
in Kenya’s capital. “The first images that
outsiders have in mind when they come
to Kibera are of poverty, misery, hopelessness
and garbage,” says Otieno. But
as a photographer, he sees the whole
picture. “There’s a side to the slum that’s
unseen: the unknown part that goes
beyond Kibera’s stereotypes. This side is
one of prosperity, talent and potential;
there are people working hard in the
hope that, one day, they’ll make their
way out,” he says. “Through my photography,
I find it important to show
the many different faces of Kibera. I try
to show the people and their positions
in the community, and paint an honest
picture that shows more than just poverty
and misery. The photos I share are
a true representation of my people and
what they go through in life every day.
These are not only their stories, they’re
also my own personal experiences.”
Otieno is still capturing Kibera life
as it happens. As someone who has
lived in the slum for so many years, it’s
easy for him to move around. “Being
born and bred in Kibera makes a huge
difference: people know me and they
trust me to photograph them. They see
me as one of them. They know about
the work I do and they appreciate it.
This allows me to document moments
that are pure and intimate. I’m often
invited into homes to photograph
weddings, birthday parties and even
newborns. When I document a fire outbreak
or houses that were washed away
by the rains, people don’t get angry at
me and my camera; they want their
plight to be documented because maybe
someone out there will want to extend a
helping hand. That’s the power of
photography: it can change lives.”
AWARD-WINNER
After years of taking pictures and
telling Kibera’s stories on his social
media channels, Otieno’s hard work
finally paid off. In 2018, his photo
series, Kibera Stories, won the inaugural
East African Photography Award,
which was hosted by Uganda Press
Photo Award in Kampala. The bestknown
photo in the series shows ballet
dancer Elsie Ayoo posing in a Kibera
street. “The first time she tried on a pair
of pointe shoes, she fell in love with
ballet and now she dreams of becoming
a professional dancer,” says Otieno. “I
hope she’s on the right track to make >