Posted: July 25th, 2005 | Author: kamau | Filed under: photography | Comments Off
i have been studying william eggleston recently; without knowing it, it seems i have been deeply influenced by his saturated color images of the everyday, the mundane. so imagine my surprise today when i found out that he had visited kenya and shot a number of images there.
sampling of images
favorite image. green foliage and red soil: those two things are everywhere in central kenya, making that a quitessential eggleston image.
Posted: July 18th, 2005 | Author: kamau | Filed under: photography | Comments Off
checked out jamel shabazz’s exhibition “a time before crack” now showing at powerhouse gallery in manhattan and have been struck by how much documentary photography is out there chronicling the early days of the hip hop culture
e.g.
back in the day: jamel shabazz’s book and exhibition
born in the bronx: bronx-born photographer joe conzo’s images that predate those of shabazz and cooper, now showing in london [via trace magazine]
hip hop files: martha cooper’s book about grafitti artists and b-boys from that time; she also had an exhibition at the brooklyn museum earlier this year
yes yes y’all book and travelling exhibition.
so what’s the african connection? why me. few things have influenced me more than that early hip hop that came out of new york and somehow found its way to my cassette player high school back in kenya and in my first couple of years of college here in the states. looking at all the images, i feel like i am looking into my own past and the aesthetics (music, art especially) that inform part of who i am today. the connection, part of that conversation that takes place between africa, america, cuba, brazil, manchester and other points in the african diaspora that shows up in favela beats, drum ‘n bass, dub, bongo flavor, dancehall and one geek’s lifelong love with music, especially that one flavor that was born in the bronx in the late 1970’s.
Posted: July 17th, 2005 | Author: kamau | Filed under: multimedia | Comments Off
south africa: ten years on: multimedia (audio/images) piece on life in the south african town of grahamstown 10 years after independence.
Posted: July 17th, 2005 | Author: kamau | Filed under: photography | Comments Off
2 photo essays from san francisco bay area based photojournalist chris smith
township life
post-war, post-marx, mozambique in 2002
more photo essays from uk photojournalist crispin hughes
angola: aftermath of war, in kuito
mali: ordinary life
sierra leone: diamonds and war
ethiopia: rural life
Posted: July 7th, 2005 | Author: kamau | Filed under: photography | Comments Off
south african photographer gideon mendel works with 8 african women to put a human face on african poverty and challenge g8 leaders.
“There’s so much written about Africa that’s the photographer’s voice,” he says. “There’s a lot of satisfaction in pushing the boundaries in the ways that photos can be used, and I’m pleased that I could be supported in work that really gives [the women] their own voices.”
actionaid site: africa 8:
guardian site: eight women, one voice:
PDN background story: putting a face On african poverty
Posted: July 4th, 2005 | Author: kamau | Filed under: music | Comments Off
more reaction in the wake of the live 8 concert and its effect on changing the situation of global poverty.
aidan hartley: tale of the wabenzi. how the aid given to african countries only winds up supplying more merc benzes to its leaders.
Western pundits say the WaBenzi still exist because African culture is inherently sick, that black Africans can’t help but admire the Big Men. This does ordinary Africans an injustice. The West needs to help them get better leaders before it increases aid. Make the WaBenzi declare their wealth to their electorates and donors. Name and shame those who drive expensive cars while their people starve. Encourage policies that will create wealth so that the only Africans buying Mercedes-Benzes are honest men and women. Unless this happens Africa’s new aid package will not alleviate poverty, disease and ignorance. What it will definitely mean is more flashy limousines.
thinking room: global politics 101 and live 8
Shovelling aid at these wastrels is just filling their Swiss bank accounts and allowing them to get a 8 door Mercedes instead of 6 door ! It is ludicrous for the West to rant and rave at Museveni at his lack of democracy and yet 60% of the Ugandan budget, most of which is used by the military comes from the very same West!
kofia tip: kenyan pundit
