Brian OTIENO PORTFOLIO
Photo Essays 2014-2016
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“EVERYDAY LIFE in KIBERA
Nubian ladies pose for a photo during a cultural wedding ceremony in Kibera. The Nubians wear their colorful traditional clothing during any cultural ceremony.
Bonaventure, 23 pose for a portrait wearing an African printed suit made by Wakuu tailors from Kibera. WAKUU is a social enterprise that aims to make suits and women’s clothing from the colorful West-African kitenge material. WAKUU taps into the potential and the capacity of the many gifted tailors in and around Kibera, an exceptionally large slum in Nairobi while uplifting the communities in Kenya through exposure, training, employment and community development.
Otieno Otieno, 24, also known as Chiif Kadiif is a spoken word poet, one of the very many artists in Kibera who have decided to use their talent and skills to address the various issues and ills affecting the community.
Molly is 16 years old but 7 months pregnant. When she discovered that she was pregnant to a man almost the size of her father, 46 years to be specific, they eloped to Nairobi because she feared her parents might disown her. She’s one, among the ever increasing number of the teenage moms of Kibera.
Two men struggle to put out a fire in Kibera. A major fire in the jam-packed village of Gatwekera, destroyed scores of houses on Friday evening 5th August, 2016. One-year-old baby was burnt to death beyond recognition while properties worth thousands of shillings completely damaged. Residents together with a group of some local leaders struggled to put out the blaze that lasted for over an hour. Sources said the inferno was caused by an electrical fault that started from one of the houses and quickly spread to the other houses due to the strong winds
Nyama choma, which is grilled meat is being prepared outside in open fire outside a butchery in Kibera while the butcher, Osumo serves some of his customers inside.
A boy shops for the night time meal at a grocery kiosk in Kibera. In most business stores, the owners usually live on the inner part of the house and sell their items on the front part, usually near a busy street or road.
Nubian women singing and dancing during a Nubian cultural wedding ceremony. The Nubians were the very first people in Kibera after they were given the land by the British after the second World War. Although they are about 10,000 in Kibera, majority of them have maintained their traditions and cultures up to this moment.
Vehicles lie abandoned at a garage in Toi Market, Kibera – the second largest open air market after Gikomba.
Supporters of Coalition for Reforms and Democracy party (CORD) march along a street in Kibera carrying a coffin while chanting anti-government slogans. This comes a day after Moses Kuria – a government member of parliament was caught in a viral video that surfaced on social media calling for the assassination of Raila Odinga. The youths burnt the coffin and barricaded roads leading to the city center.
Cedric, a barber is shaving Victor. Although the rate of unemployment is high in Kibera, most of the youths have sorted to start their own businesses using their skills and abilities so as to make a living.
A man walks along a street in Kibera covering himself with an umbrella following irregular heavy rains in January. Climate change has really affected the rainy season in Kenya. Heavy rains begin in March and ends in April but this year they came a little bit too early.
A man and two girls walk under the southern bypass bridge in Kibera in the morning, going to work and to school respectively. The Southern Bypass is a highway that passes through Kibera.
A group of kids swim in the murky waters from a pool in Lang’ata, Kibera. Rain water started forming in there after it was left open by road constructors.
People walk along a smoked filled road in Kibera on the morning of February 6th, 2016. Scenes like this are common in the morning because many people cook roadside foods like mandazi, chapati and githeri to sell to residents.
James, 7, a class two pupil at Olympic Primary School studying all he can on an empty classroom. His classmates have sorted to stay at home because of the nationwide teachers strike, but that however cannot stop him from believing in what is right. To study and study smart. [ Winner of ‘BeTheChange2015’ Photo Story Contest ]
Girls are skipping a rope after returning home from school. Many parents have allowed their children to engage in different recreational activities as a way to distract themselves from all the chaos in the slum.
Hands of a girl called Rhoda silhouetted by a curtain at the doorway of a house in Kibera. It was in the afternoon and the kids were playing the hide and seek game right outside the house.
Kelvin and his little sisters Anita and Nicole stand near the Southern Bypass on the western edge of Kibera. The slum is home to approximately 500,000 people, majority being the youths.
A junior boxer stands at a corner waiting for the second round of Pre-Obama boxing tournament in Kibera. The event was organized to celebrate President Barack Obama visit to Kenya in July, 2015.
Brian BRYANOTIENO JAYBEE K I B E R A, N A I R O B I, K E N Y A
FREELANCE PHOTOJOURNALIST
18. 01.1993
diamond was once a stone “Abut the pressure it endured BRYAN JAYBEE BRYAN JAYBEE K I B E R A, N A I R O B I, K E N Y A K I B E R A, N A I R O B I, K E N Y A
FREELANCE FREELANCE PHOTOJOURNALIST PHOTOJOURNALIST
My My name name is is Bryan Bryan Jaybee, Jaybee, freelance freelance photojournalist photojournalist with with a a base base in in Kibera, Kibera, Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya. Kenya. Photography Photography is is a a hobhobby – that developed into a passion and now a profesby – that developed into a passion and now a profession. II take take photos photos of of people people and and places, places, but but that’s that’s not not sion. all, II take take photos photos of of anything anything and and everything everything –– to to make make all, memories, meet new people and have fun while at memories, meet new people and have fun while at it. it. II strive strive to to make make every every image image II take take an an award award winning winning –– and and with with all all honesty, honesty, that’s that’s my my approach approach to to the the art. art. II want want to to capture capture the the visual visual realities realities of of life life from from Kibera Kibera and be be able able to to tell tell the the stories stories through through publications publications while while and also helping helping to to understand understand what’s what’s going going on on in in Kibera Kibera also through reportage of current events. KiberaStories through reportage of current events. KiberaStories is is a a photo photo project project that that started started in in 2013 2013 simply simply as as a a hobby; hobby; the the project, through pictures tells the stories from Kibera while project, through pictures tells the stories from Kibera while also also providing providing insights, insights, raising raising awareness awareness and and bringing bringing a a unique point point of of view view to to the the outside outside world world through through the the unique stories from from Kibera. Kibera. stories
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made it worth gold.
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I want to capture the visual realities of life from Kibera and be able to tell the stories through publications while also helping to lies understand what’s in Kibera Brian’s passion in capturing thegoing visual on realities of through reportage of current events. KiberaStories is a every life from the people around him, and telling their photo project that started in 2013 simply as a hobby; the project,through throughonline pictures tells the stories Kibera while stories publications. Hisfrom visual stories also providing insights, raising awareness and bringing a attempt to go beyond the chaotic appearance and unique point of view to the outside world through to the stories from Kibera. demonstrate the daily lives in Kibera from socio-eco-
nomic, cultural, political and environmental perspectives. By doing so, Brian also tries to draw the attention of the public to understand the diversity, dynamics, and inequality of urban life as an observer who gives unique point of view through photography. +254 350 +254 736 736736 350 881 881 +254 350 881 bryanjaybee@gmail.com bryanjaybee@gmail.com bryanjaybee@gmail.com @KiberaStories @KiberaStories @KiberaStories @Bryan.Jaybee @Bryan.Jaybee @Bryan.Jaybee kiberastories.tumblr.com kiberastories.tumblr.com kiberastories.tumblr.com