Coronavirus
I’m very happy to share that The Guardian published twelve pictures I took in Samburu, in the photo essay section of their website. The story that goes with all photographs, about worries over Samburu’s children who might not return to school as they are once again living a traditional way of life, was written by Saskia Houttuin.
See the whole photo essay here, on the website of The Guardian.
Click here to read more about our frontpage coverage about Samburu for NRC Handelsblad.
Kenya’s schools have been closed for over six months. And so Tills, who is fourteen years old and lives with her mother in Nairobi’s informal settlement Korogocho, has had a lot of time on her hands. She frequently met up with friends when her mother was working, and had sex with a boy who was a bit older than her. He told her that she wouldn’t get pregnant from sleeping with him once, but he turned out to be wrong. When neighbors saw her body changing, they were afraid that Tills would abort the unborn child, and so they brought her to the police station. That’s how Tills’ mother found out her daughter had fallen pregnant. Even though her mom will be the one who will take care of the baby, Tills will not go back to school, as teenage pregnancies are stigmatized.
See Saskia Houttuin’s report I filmed for RTL Nieuws below:
Dutch photojournalist and C4C jury member Ilvy Njiokiktjien has picked one of my photographs as her weekly favourites, making my image shot in supermarket Albert Heijn one of the jury’s weekly picks of the Care 4 Corona photo awards. To see more of my most recent photographs, take a look at my Instagram profile.
Sander Hoogendoorn, NPO 3FM’s morning show DJ, interviewed me about the COVID19 situation in countries in Sub Saharan Africa. In the live radio interview, I told him that as many African governments are trying to take as much measures as possible to prevent the spreading of COVID19, musicians support them with releasing songs with practical tips.
Artists all over the African continent have made coronavirus songs, mainly focusing on personal hygiene and social distancing. I mentioned songs made by Bobi Wine & Nubian Li, Liberian president Weah and South African popstar Sho Madjozi. To see the whole visual radio fragment, click play below.
New work for The Guardian & Al Jazeera: With limited resources and limited Intensive Care Unit beds, African governments are looking to prevent the spread of the corona virus as much as possible. In Kenya, all international flights are suspended, and a curfew from 9pm to 7am is in place. The country is known for its ‘matatus’, minibuses that often transport more people than they have seats. In the wake of the coronavirus, Kenyan authorities have issued measures to be taken by matatu companies - fears are that Kenya's informal public transportation buses that carry millions of Kenyans on a daily basis is the weak link in the fight against corona.
To prevent contamination, Kenyan officials have said that 14-seater matatus will carry only 8 passengers, and vehicles that carry more than 30 passengers will carry not more than 60% of their capacity. But people have to get to work, as Kenya is not yet ‘in lockdown’, and many Kenyans have work that cannot be done from home. For some, a day without work even means a day without food.
And so, among many drivers and matatu touts who are not yet taking precautions, some matatu staffers in Nairobi’s Westlands matatu terminal are wearing face masks as they disinfect their buses and clean hands of passengers. “Many people will not be able to afford to go to the hospital. And if you can’t seek medical attention, you will die. We are taking every measure seriously.”
Click here to see my photos on the website of The Guardian: ‘Minibuses keep Kenya’s wheels turning amid Covid-19 fears – in pictures’
Click here to see my photos and words for Al Jazeera: ‘In Pictures: Riding Kenya's matatus amid new coronavirus measures’
