Creating a sense of possibility and agency in communities involves giving young people the tools to take ownership of their lives and their narratives. This gives them the opportunity to understand how they can shape those stories differently than what they see in mass media. Eight students in Kenya, as part of the Educating Girls in Science (EGIS) Project of the Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa (AKA,M), supported by the Intel Foundation and the Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A., recently participated in a six-day photography workshop from February 27 to March 4, 2015 as part of the Everyday Africa movement. The workshop facilitated an interactive exchange among the Mombasa public school students, Aga Khan Academy students and students from Senn High School in Chicago, Illinois in the United States.
Everyday Africa explores truth in storytelling and the injustices of media-driven stereotypes through photography. The partnership encourages students to deepen their understanding of the news process and photography through journalism. They learn about representations of culture, social change and community responsibility, all while thinking critically about these concepts in new and creative ways. In that element of critical thinking applied to daily life, the workshop fits well with the EGIS goal of engaging female students in the sciences of their lives.
All participants in the photography workshop created a project, working with students from Aga Khan Academy and neighboring schools called “Everyday Mombasa,” which includes photos and essays they posted individually and together to Instagram and other social media. Austin Merrill and Peter DiCampo, the founders of Everyday Africa, facilitated the workshop with Boniface Mwangi, a photo-journalist from Nairobi.
The workshop featured sessions on:
- How journalism gets produced
- Elements of photography
- Skype sessions with students from Senn High school in Chicago
- Discussions of journalistic objectivity
- Examining and critiquing other
- Everyday Africa feeds
The students drew on these topics to explore, both individually and in teams, locations around Mombasa, to uncover content for their project. These ranged from a historic site (Fort Jesus) to a popular public beach, from a street scene to a busy market. In these locations they photographed community residents, interviewed people, and composed photo essays.
One of the essays, by student Mwanasiti Mbeyu, illustrates the strong competency in composition, interviewing and selection required for in photo journalism. She asked questions and discovered, for example, why a shopkeeper on Pirates Beach opened only on Sunday, and how a vendor in the produce market makes her items more attractive. She also learned in some cases a person’s life story, their fears and hopes. You can see more about the experience of Mwanasiti and others here.
Skyping with the students in Chicago, the Mombasa students addressed the existence of stereotypes through questions such as, What are your impressions of America?
Answers included: People who watch the Kardashians, Hollywood, big cars and big cities, New York, MacDonald’s, and the American dream.
The Mombasa students in turn asked the Chicago teens, What are your impressions of Africa?
Answers included: A place where there is wildlife, where rape occurs, where there is war and famine, with huts and elephants. In general, negative images were repeatedly highlighted.
When the Kenyan students asked the American students, What would you like to know about Mombasa? They received many responses, including: More about the Mombasa food, more about the Aga Khan Academy. Both sides agreed that the next meeting would focus on getting to know more about each other’s school.
In the end, the Kenyan students improved their communication skills and confidence. They also gained training in computer skills and use of email for staying in touch with each other afterward – tools and a network for shaping their own stories. The Educating Girls in Science Project will continue to support their exploration into other aspects of their lives.
By Lucy Mwandawiro, Project Facilitator for Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa