Daniel Msirikale
Finding freedom in photography
All images courtesy of: Daniel Msirikale
The work of Tanzanian photographer Daniel Msirikale brings an almost magical beauty to some of the country’s most unexplored places. Paa talks to the Dar-born but well travelled creative, who shares his work under the name @that_tanzanianguy on Instagram, about his wanderlust, learning his skills online and why he likes to be a clown behind the camera. Q. Have you always had a love of
through hashtags of different places
travel and exploring new places?
on Instagram to see if I can find any
A. I have indeed. However, I had
images of unique spots in an area. I
not actually travelled much before
also ask the locals of an area on what
I started university in Turkey. In fact,
unique spots I can find. I get help
other than Dar, I had only ever been
from tour operators, cultural centres
to Kenya, where I went to school from
and local guides. Nowadays I also get
Grade 1 to 5.
a lot of recommendations from various people on my Instagram page
Q. You seem to uncover places off
and invitations from time to time. My
the beaten track in Tanzania that
favourite recent discoveries were in
many people may not be aware of.
Mbeya region. The first were these
What’s your secret – and can you
magnificent falls at Suma Malamba
tell us about your favourite recent
village, about 15 km from Tukuyu
discoveries?
town. I also discovered a number
A. Initially I used to uncover these
of unique crater lakes in the Tukuyu
Magic moments
The work of Daniel Msirikale
places so my friends and I could have a quieter and often cheaper alternative for us to spend our holidays. When photography became my career, however, I realised that it was images of places off the beaten track that were catching people’s attention the most. I now feel that I have a responsibility to uncover and share images of these places, particularly in Tanzania. There’s also a certain rush that comes only with uncovering such places. I use different ways to find out about these places. I search
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Paa Tanzania
Muse
Model Prudence Zoe Glorious in a memorable shot