BEAUTY IN HELL: Beauty over Drama

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Contrasts: Curiosity & diffidence, desperation & indifference.
Through the streets of Mathare Slum (Nairobi). The contrast between the innocent beauty of the young girl, the vivid diffidence of the boy behind her, the finality of the desperation shown by the man on the ground and the indifference of the people passing by. This is the ensemble of feelings that runs through these slums every day.

The Street Children.
The first thing that comes to my mind when I see this picture is: "well, nice shot, but where is the supposed beauty?" The beauty is very hard to see here, but it is there. These children sniff glue, oil and solvents and eat from the garbage found on the streets. They are part of extremely dangerous street gangs and can be very difficult. The beauty may not be visible at first but it is there, in the situation, in the fact that I managed to get 20-30 of them together, to convince them to stay with me for a few hours, to trust me and viceversa, to tell me their stories and their "dreams". The boy in the foreground is only 18... the other 2 around 15.

Something ahead… maybe.

I ran into this little boy the first day in Mathare Slum (Nairobi). He was going to school and looked like he was wandering about the future. Behind him one of the streets leading into the slum.
A strong element, and one of the things that stands out in this image is the contrast between the harsh environment and the label "Strong" on the boy's jacket.

A happy family...

This family was made up of 3 women (mother and 2 sisters)... the father disappeared a long time ago. These women take care not only of their own children (which are a few as you can see) but have also started a project to try to rescue the so called "Street Children" (see photo n.2). The 3 women provide them with 1 or 2 proper meals a week.

High quality, protein soup ready...

On the street of Mathare Slum, Nairobi. This woman is preparing a basic meal which will be sold to the people walking by. Most people (especially women) always find something to do to make a living. There are many women like this one, cooking or doing some other kind of activity on the streets of Mathare, Kibera and in all the other slums.

Disillusion...

Come to church and "the knowledge of God Ministry" will save you from desperation!
Welcome to Mathare!!! When I saw this man I immediately pictured him as someone who had seen it all, someone who knew that with or without religion there is no easy way out. Complete, total poverty pushes men to believe, just in order to have a little hope. Right or wrong, it is still a good thing in these desperate situations.

Africa, where are you going?

A young girl playing on the railway that runs through Kibera (the second largest slum in the world - Nairobi). All you can see in the background is Kibera with over one million people. While I was taking this picture my mind kept thinking about what kind of future awaits the African countries.

Makadare Market/Slum.

Here we are inside Makadare, one of the largest markets/slums in Nairobi, where people work using old tires and rubber objects to produce shoes, tools and various other things.

An old craft still alive.

Just outside Kibera Slum (Nairobi) a job that has nearly disappeared in the western world is a means of sustenance in these areas.

Enjoying the fleeting moments.

In the middle of Mathare (Nairobi) and between the garbage and the sewers a few kids were enjoying a game of football... around here every small thing is enjoyed fully.

Little Ghosts.

The musical instrument.

Near Mogunda in the north of Kenya. These children live in tiny villages and generally take care of the flocks. The one in the middle has some kind of musical instrument he is playing with. When it is held in the right direction the wind going through the strings makes different sounds. He said that this was his music.

Early morning hope.

A young girl at sunrise in the refugee camp outside Mogunda (there were still a few shelters from the new refugees waiting to get a better place).
She is preparing food for the rest of her family: 2 brothers and a sister.

Seen it all.

This old woman from a tiny village near Mogunda came to us out of nowhere and, in a bout of pride, straightened up and asked me to be photographed. She normally walks completely bent over. You could see in her eyes the hard times she went (and was still going) through.

The real situation.

Inside the refugee camp outside Mogunda… a young boy is waiting to get his share of food.

Where once was hell.

This is the plain where, when I was there in 2012, there were thousands of tents and plastic shelters, making a very large refugee camp.
One year later I went back and it was gone ... the government had built 4 new villages, with electricity and running water. The real reason was that the national elections where around the corner, but it was still a happy, unusual and astonishing surprise.

The production process.

Inside Makadare, one of the largest markets/slums in Nairobi. People are working on the production of shoes from old tires and other rubber recycled objects. This is where products are made, where the work is done and, normally, people are not allowed to enter here. This place is like a huge labyrinth of tiny shops and small businesses crammed together.

The plastic bottle business.

Just as you enter Mathare (Nairobi) you run into this "recycle factory". These people spend their days picking up plastic bottles from the streets and then try to sell them by weight. They hang out around Mathare and try, like anyone else, to make a living out of whatever they can find.

Western beauty in Nairobi's hell.

This little girls caught my eye because of a really strong contrast... she was holding a classic symbol of western beauty inside one of the harshest realities in the world.

The production process.

Inside Makadare, one of the largest markets/slums in Nairobi. People are working on the production of shoes from old tires and other rubber recycled objects. This is where products are made, where the work is done and, normally, people are not allowed to enter here. This place is like a huge labyrinth of tiny shops and small businesses crammed together.The production process.

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BEAUTY IN HELL: Beauty over Drama

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BEAUTY IN HELL: Beauty over Drama

“Beauty In Hell” is a personal photographic project started 3 years ago. The project objective is to find and document the beauty present in some Read More

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