Introduce yourself: tell us who you are in a couple sentences.
My name is Gordwin Odhiambo, a documentary photographer born and raised in Nairobi’s dynamic and bustling neighborhood of Kibera. I’m a second born in a family of seven, four girls and three boys, I’m the first-born boy.
What is your earliest memory with photography?
I’m glad I figured out what I wanted to do when I was starting out in photography. Being part of a strong journalism club in high school and having had an intensive learning project in a volunteering program at the coast of Kenya on sustainable development, equity, peace, and conflict I became more aware of the problems my community was facing and most importantly, how they were and are trying to overcome the difficult times. I wanted to create a perspective that I had not previously seen in photos that had been taken in Kibera. Photos from Kibera either showed a fast-paced dynamic life or sad quite storylines. Having started out at the University of Nairobi as a biology major, I was planning to get into natural resource management but after my second year, two of my siblings were just getting into college, the tuition became higher and my parents could not afford to keep all of us in college. The options were two of them were either to stay home so that I can continue with college or I differ/drop-out for them to get a chance to start college, I chose the latter. A decision which was very difficult to make, but for the girls, it was crucial that they start college. I already figured out a few things I wanted, and majoring in Biology was not going to satisfy that quest. This was the main reason that gave me the encouragement to give the girls a chance.
What has been your career path and how has your world experiences (family upbringing, travel, education) influenced the photographic work you do today?
I’ve been lucky to be part of very immersive documentary workshops that have greatly contributed to my knowledge in photography. I was part of the World Press Photo Foundation Workshop held in Nairobi, Kenya in 2017. In 2018, I was given a scholarship by VII Photo Agency to be part of their Rising Fast workshop in Nairobi. In January 2019, I was chosen to be part of eight creatives to take part in the MIT and Civic media lab workshop on reinventing the African narrative. In March 2019, I was also chosen to attend Blink Connect Photo Portfolio Review in New York. I also got reviews from different editors from Godfrey Daddich, Wired, and Blink. I’m a member of the African photojournalism Database – A joint project by Everyday Africa and the World Press Photo Foundation, this is a group of professional African Photographers working and living in the continent.
Currently, I’m also under the Nikon Kenya ambassadorship program provided with Nikon Z series full kit Most of the travels I have made have come from social volunteering engagements. The main one is spending three months at the coast of Kenya doing professional volunteering alongside counterparts from the United Kingdom. The program is run by Voluntary Service Oversees (VSO), Oxfam and International Citizen service (ICS). The experience from the program gave me a better understanding of social issues both within Kenya and the United Kingdom. The key issues learned from the volunteering project were international development and equity, these also formed a great part in my photography learning.
What motivates you to continue taking pictures?
I believe it is my responsibility to tell my own stories and also amplify the voices of those who aren’t able to share theirs due to one reason or the other. I believe it is my responsibility not to sit back and continue seeing photos that show a stark contrast to my upbringing. Every day I wake up, I see happy people going through their daily activities, every day I pick up my camera and capture these beautiful moments and these moments are what drives me. The motivation to photograph stems from the fact that, more is needed to be done, every day offers with it many challenges. Different social issues arise on a nearly daily basis and it is my role to highlight these issues. I’m coming from a place where there are many stories to be told that a lifetime is not even enough to explore them all. As a photographer, documenting changes is what I do, every now and then my subjects undergo a lot of changes and these to me are what makes photography interesting.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
How did this project come about? Why were you interested in it?
Kibera is a dynamic place that has its challenges but, joy, connection, and purpose forms a huge part of this community. As a young man, growing up through the challenges, I had to improvise and adapt to life situations and I found it very interesting. I would wake up one-day collecting plastics to sell, the next day I will find myself in construction sites other times I would find myself managing someone’s cybercafé. Amidst all these, it was not all that gloomy. The things that I did and continue to do have and are shaping me into the person I am today. My current projects; intentionally and thoughtfully explore the activities of young men in Nairobi’s low-income communities and how they go about navigating the tough economic realities. Buoyed by the desire to feel recognized, these young men are creating a unique cultural movement that is driving Nairobi’s art scene. Amidst the dynamism and vibrancy existence among low-income communities in Nairobi, how do the youth dream? I believe that the way you make your hair, dress and present yourself within the community have a lot to do with what you’d like to be in the future. My photography puts faces to a place I call home and creates a sense of existence and belonging through art and culture.
Pick one photo from your series to deconstruct: what was happening when you took the shot? Set the scene, what was going through your head?
I took this photo during the VII Agency’s ‘Rising Fast’ workshop in Nairobi in November 2018. Tasked with exploring the rising trends among urban youths from Nairobi, I was lured to Kibera due to its dynamism, enthusiasm and the spirited rising culture of the youth. I did not fully realize how important this photo was going to be for my project until the time we started the editing session of the workshop with Nichole Sobecki who was the moderator.
For me, at the time of shooting it was just a regular photo of a stylish young man in Kibera. But, when everyone at the workshop saw it, I was surprised by how much they liked it – then I had to deconstruct the details. Looking closely, I realized that it was more than an open welcome by Daniel Owino to his home. Daniel is an upcoming musician who at the time was the holder of Mr. and Miss. Kibera a title being awarded to the most influential person in the community. Him showing us his home was a crucial statement many young people from the slum are afraid to show. What actually is beneath the walls of houses of young in Kibera? We did not do any set up for the photo, Daniel is always a stylish man, local award winner, and he drives from some of Ethiopia’s most powerful legends.
The project is more of informing as much as it is of learning. I realized that not many positives were being told about these young men. Telling my stories through the people I photograph helps others to understand my community better.
DIVE DEEPER
The project has previously been shared by VII Photo Agency website and Instagram as part of Workshop’s attendee’s takeover. It has also been shared by VII Photo academy’s website and World Press Photo Instagram account as part of African photojournalism Database Instagram take over.
This is an ongoing project; more information can be found on my website www.gordwinodhiambo.com