Monthly Archive for August, 2005

Each time I go to Kamanzi an intersting thing happens. Moments after our arrival I begin to see little eyes peeking through the bushes and around the trees. One by one little children arrive. At first they are very shy and run away (laughing) if I try to approach them. But all I have to do is produce a camera. All of a sudden, they are all around me wanting their picture taken. Digital cameras are especially nice because then I can show them the picture immediately after I take it. After the first photo their shyness is gone and they are very interested in me and anyone else who has a camera.

I am somewhat tentative about taking pictures of adults. I try not to intrude on people in general and I don’t want to seem like the stereotypical tourist swooping in to take pictures. But I have found that the adults like their picture taken at least as much as the childern. When we went to the school one day, all of the workers were there and were getting ready to end for the day. I sheepishly asked if I could take a picture of them. They were so excited, they arranged themselves and this excellent picture is the result. They were delighted when I showed them the picture. It was a great way to break the ice. I got to know many of them, not because we could talk to each other (many of them didn’t speak English and I don’t speak KiKamba) but because we could communicate through pictures. They were able to show a little bit of who they are by allowing me to take their picture while they posed.

This is one of the ladies that helped to cook our meals every day. Each home has a separate building for a kitchen because they cook over an open flame of wood twigs and branches. I have had taken several pictures of this window. One day I saw her watching as I was taking pictures of other people, so I pointed to her and then to my camera. She opened the window wider and struck this pose. You will notice smoke coming out of all around her which is from the open fire they use for cooking. Because they use wood in an enclosed structure it gets pretty smokey in there. She was so delighted when I showed her the picture. This is one of my favorite pictures.

This begins a series of articles on Kamanzi Kenya. Kamanzi is approximately 40 miles west-southwest of Nairobi Kenya. For the past 4 years My church has been in partnership with the Ia-Itune (e´ah e tune´a) African Brotherhood Church. Our partnership includes building a school and supporting the community through medical supplies, teacher training, and working (and playing) with the children. For the past 2 years I have been fortunate to go on these trips with the team from my church. I have taken a lot of pictures and have had a lot of experiences. Most notably for me I received my African name on my first trip to Kamanzi. The people in Kamanzi are of the Kamba tribe which is one of the Bantu tribes. Their language is Kikamba although most also speak Swahili and many also speak English. Kamanzi is nestled in rolling hills in Kangundo Province near Kivaani. Getting to Kamanzi is a challenge (at least from the perspective of Americans) because there are no paved roads. Heading to Kamanzi via Mombasa Road there is a point where you leave the paved road and there is nothing but dirt roads the rest of the way. The village of Kamanzi has no electricity, no running water, and no sewers.

Although it lacks many of the “conveniences” we enjoy in the US, the village of Kamanzi is, in many ways, more civilized than many places I have been in the U.S. In future articles I will try to impart some of what I experienced during my times in Kamanzi.