Family life

“Musongo! Musongo!” (White man). Kids were yelling these words from all corners when I was walking around the slum to photograph everyday life in Kibera. Children circled around me as if they had never seen a white man before. In their homes with up to seven residents they share a room of 2,5 to 3 square meters. They have no shower, kitchen or toilets and the only furniture one can see is a bed and occasionally a sofa. Living in these ten-by-ten-foot shacks made of mud and wattle is not free and families still have to pay rent to their landlords.

Several parents have problems earning enough money to pay for their primary needs such as water and food. Work opportunity is limited and those who are lucky get what they call a “day job” which gives them enough money to fulfil a family's primary needs for one day. If there is not enough work a family risks not having a meal for a whole day. Families say that life is hard, and they all wish they had better living conditions.

Tough battle for single mothers

For single mothers there is an extra fight for survival. Some have children suffering from mental illnesses or physical handicaps. Rose Kathurse, single mother of four, is crying when she tells me that her husband left her because she gave birth to a handicapped child. Her husband is embarrassed about their son and blames his wife. Their son Daniel Muli was born paralysed from his waist down. Additionally, she has 3 more children to take care of at the same time by her self. To survive, Rose and other single mothers I meet run their own small businesses inside the slum where they cook food and sell it to local residents. While these women are working, their children are beingleft by themselves. Witnessing sick children who could not walk, or in some cases not even talk and move, it was terrible realising that these people did not have any future.

Flying toilets

“Watch out! “-yelled Moses, one of my security guards. I stopped straight away and saw something brownish in colour landing a few meters ahead of me. Since there are no toilets in Kibera they get rid of human excrement by throwing the waste in the air, aiming to hit a random roof close by. The sanitation conditions are miserable and for many inhabitants the situation leads to diseases such as cholera, typhoid, acute intestinal inflammation which again results in diarrhoea and vomiting. There are no solutions for getting rid of garbage in the slum so walking around in Kibera is like taking a tour in a garbage heap.

50 000 children in Kibera are orphans

Fifty thousand children in Kibera are orphans. This mainly because of HIV/AIDS positive parents. Most of the kids who have lost their parents stay with close family relatives or in the worst cases they end up living on the streets. Reverend Andrew Ogembo, who runs the largest church in Kibera and organised my security guards for the project, said that charity organisations and local churches help as best they can. Reverend Ogembo offered free education and food for orphans, and he also tried to help single mothers the best he could by teaching them how to run businesses and work together so that they could help each other during difficult times. Furthermore, he said that unfortunately they do not have capacity to help everyone. He explained that there are several orphanages set up in Kibera, but there is not room for everyone. Reverend Ogembo was financing his support services by renting out chairs and tents for festivals and large community gatherings.

Nabwir, the mother who lost four out of five of her children to AIDS

I entered a room of three square meters. The wall is covered with posters. On the right top corner is a picture of Jesus. The room consists of a couple of red chairs and a bed covered up by curtains. This is the home to Nabwir, a widow who has lost four out of five children to AIDS. She is HIV positive herself and too sick to work and take care of her last son. Her husband left her and she only survives through the help of her neighbor who comes by everyday with water and food. While speaking to Nabwir her eyes are sad and there is no expression of hope. It is uncertain if Nabwir is still alive today.

Used wooden swords to fight demons

In Kibera local inhabitants share different religious beliefs. In a small area deep inside the slum I was invited to see a sub religious sect. Entering the area I could see an old car and next to it a small house with a crucifix on it. They called themselves “Legion of Maria” and their Jesus was a dark skinned man photographed in person. His name was Simeon Melkio and was their Messiah. Inside their holy area they were wearing colourful clothes, walked barefooted and carried their sword above their shoulders. Their swords were used to fight demons. Joseph, one of the members, said that Jesus originally was a cow in India, the cow was later transported by boat to Rwanda and in Rwanda it was transformed into an African man. Furthermore he explained that if one of the male members treats his wife badly, they punish him physically inside their church by beating him with a stick.

Dangerous nightlife

Walking around the slum at nighttime is very dangerous and it is strongly discouraged to walk

alone. My bodyguards Moses and Peter, who live in the slum themselves, tell me that it is not unusual that one person gets killed every night. When photographing in the slum it is essential that one moves continuously and does not attract too much attention. This is in order that local gangs will not have the time to plan a robbery or assault. On one occasion I got too hanged up on a motive I was photographing and completely lost track of time. Suddenly Moses interrupted me saying that we had to make a run for it. He had recognised a local gang spying on us and was afraid for our security. Running through narrow dark streets my bodyguards took me to a safer place. After the last day of shooting in Kibera, Moses insisted that we paid a visit to God in the church. He could not understand how we for eight days in the slum had not been in any fights. As a strong Christian believer he had to thank God for our protection.

Joy despite misery

Even though people of Kibera struggle for survival, it is not only sadness that meet my eyes. Children are playing at garbage heaps while other children play football and there are smiles on their faces. At the local churches people were singing and dancing like nothing from their everyday life seemed to bother them. It seemed to me that faith provided them with strength and courage to meet their everyday challenges.