We are the authors of our own stories
Young people picturing the place they call home; on their own terms, through their own lens.
Kibera is most often pictured by outsiders. Here, the young people who live it hold the camera.
This Is Where We’re From is a participatory photography project for young people in Kibera, Nairobi. Through a series of workshops they learn to document their own lives, families and streets — with intention, care and pride.
The problem we are addressing is narrative inequality — that Kibera is so often pictured and explained by outsiders. What we do is simple: the equitable distribution of storytelling power, handing the camera to the people who live here.
CHANGING WHO TELLS THE STORY CHANGES THE STORY ITSELF
Not the subjects of the story — the authors of it.
The young people behind the lens
Tap a photographer to see their favourite frames, read their words and hear their voice.
Kibera, in their frames
Stories from Kibera
Jeremy Ouma, 13 The road I walk to school
Every morning the same lane wakes up around me — the mandazi seller, the handcarts, the puddles I have learned to jump. Read the story →
Effie Akoth, 16 My mother’s salon
Dada Salon is where the neighbourhood gathers. I photographed a Saturday from open to close. Read the story →
Sasha Blessings, 14 Where we play
A bicycle, a wall, a ball of light at golden hour. Joy is easy to find if you carry a camera. Read the story →
The Zine · Issue 01
This is where we're from
A printed collection, made by the young people.
The young photographers' strongest images and writing, gathered into a downloadable zine.