Kenya: Kibera slum's hidden beauty through the lens

Brian Otieno is a 25 year old Kenyan photographer who comes from Kibera, the largest slum in Nairobi, and the largest urban slum in Africa.

Through his lens, he captures the images of life in his neighbourhood to show the world that in the slum, there is more to life than poverty and violence.

This is what prompted him to begin an online project called “Kibera Stories” in 2013.

This is what he says:
“This project I am doing – Kibera stories has inspired another generation of storytellers, people who document Kibera, so maybe in future we can all come together and do an ex-hibition or even make a sort of museum where we can exhibit these photos for people to see this is Kibera in 2018, and this was Kibera in 2013, to show the development, to show that gradual growth.”

Otieno already has a huge following on social media with close to 6,800 followers on instagram. According to him, Kibera Stories is a source of hope to those that are familiar with his work.

“Here in Kibera, you find different typeS of people different types of photographers, each one doing his or her own work but what i can say is that I am really happy to have like Brian around because he is one of the Kibera ambassadors that are trying to show like the real thing happening inside here. Just out of passion to get people to know and learn the truth not just like the people that come for business issues and run away after that,” said David Avido, a resident of Kibera.

With this project, Otieno wants people to come to Kibera but to talk about it for different reasons – an underground rap scene, urban culture, fashion and the powerful stories of ordinary people.

Kibera is home to some of the poorest people in the country, there is no running water and only a few shared toilets and bathrooms for families living in one roomed shacks.