This blog is also published on Africa Web TV Tucked somewhere in plain view right in the centre of Europe, Macedonia is a country that is as authentic as they come. As an Afropean one always feels at home anywhere in Europe and in Africa. But without a doubt, Macedonia was a real eye-opener. Macedonia? …
Kenya we need to talk!
Dearest Kenya, We need to talk. I have always loved you from the moment we set eyes on each other. It is you I always come back to every year in Africa. I come to you like a baby to suck at your breast for my own nourishment and well-being. You are the unconditional love …
Zielona Gora – Love at every sight!
.One of the perks of being an Afropean is the fact that you can travel through 2 continents feeling at home everywhere you go. However being of African heritage, you sometimes need to have a strength of character when travelling to certain parts of Europe. Not because it is different from the other places one …
Biafra!
Unlike many Nigerian/Biafrans, I am old enough to already have been a school going child during the Biafra war 1967-1970. I am old enough to have seen the evil that war caused. After millions died, all the war achieved was to cause years of pain to the innocents. Those who were at the top and …
Going to Africa with my son!
I am writing this somewhere 11000 feet above Egypt as the aircraft is preparing for a brief stop in Hurghada, Egypt. The final destination is Zanzibar and I am travelling with my eldest son. That the two of us could be on our way to a holiday destination in Africa together is evidence that when …
Trouble! Give me some light!
I was really looking forward to the Migori nightlife. So far I have had the time of my life during this trip to Kenya. In spite of the heat and all, I have been on a high dosage of work–travel-work since I arrived. I went out briefly with Aurelia in Mombasa but going out in …
The positive market woman Sirare
Take a good look at the woman in the picture. Can you guess her age? 80 maybe 85 we think. She is a woman who surely has seen a lot in her life. I saw her sitting there selling her product in the open market of Sirare. Her aura was what drew me to her. …
The meeting of friends on the street
A casual touch of hands. Eyes that make contact. A smile that seals the deal. I am because you are! Ubuntu! Friendship on display on a nondescript road in Sirare, Tanzania. Life does not have to be complicated. You see a friend, you say hello. It is one of those free gifts that nature has …
The Migori – Nairobi bus driver
When the The Migori – Nairobi bus driver said he was going to leave Migori at 07:00 hours as planned, one thought it was just one of those big, empty talk bus drivers in Kenya and Africa make. It was 06:50 and the 16 seater mini- bus had only about 4 passengers. Surely he was …
The Mombasa – Nairobi highspeed train stewardess
Not much to say here except that our subject was just one of the many stewardesses on the Mombasa – Nairobi highspeed train. Every once in a while she walks past, sometimes to check the tickets and sometimes just to have small talk and answer travellers questions. We are sure she does more than that …
The Mombasa – Nairobi train seller
Whatever your trade as long as you ply it with pride, you will earn the respect of the people. It is the job of this gentle hunk of a guy to make sure people who need some refreshments are served precisely that during the 5-hour journey from Mombasa to Nairobi. He just goes around doing …
The Mombasa car mechanic
Sometimes the best stories are told by the quietest people in the room. At the car clinic in Mombasa where we went to test drive and also to record some stories, this quiet junior car doctor just sat and waited patiently for his turn to speak. When he spoke everybody went quiet because he had …
The Nairobi-Mombasa highspeed train stewardess
This train steward with a beaming smile knew were were taking her picture. Of course you could see her proudly displaying her baby bump too. There is something sexy about a pregnant woman, in uniform and at work, with a big smile in Africa!
The Narok highway roadside musician
How does that work for a musician? You wake up, don a suit like you are going to the office. Except today your office is the highway along the Migori – Nairobi highway. Every singer does their best to stand out. Sitting there along the highway, this musician certainly caught our eyes. And in the …
The non-shy street guy in Sirare
Of all the street shoots we had in Sirare, Tanzania, this had to be the most pleasant. We were actually just walking and talking with our crew when this guy just called us from almost across the street. He would like to have his photograph taken. Just like that. And he posed and posed and …
The roadside fruit seller
And then you are driving along the Narok – Nairobi highway and then you see a guy on this phone with a concentrated look on his face. Was he playing a game on his smartphone? Was he receiving a message from his girlfriend? Was he just having a banter with a friend? One would never …
The smiling fish seller Migori
She was happy to pose for our picture as long as we bought fish from her. It seemed a good bargain since the real reason we came to the fish market was to buy fish anyway!
The street scene in Sirare
This could have been any street anywhere in Africa. But this is not any street in Africa. This is a street along a motorway in the Tanzania – Kenya border town of Sirare in Tanzania.
The tech wizard of Mombasa
The Wizard of Oz? No way! Meet the IT wizard of Mombasa. With an ever ready smile he will solve all your tech problems. However on this day he was more like a tour guide shepherding us through Mombasa while we were searching for the ultimate car!
The train cleaner
You go into the train. It departs and arrives on time (or not). But one of the things that make the journey a good or bad experience in the cleanliness or otherwise of the train. This train nurse on the Mombasa – Nairobi highspeed train makes sure every passenger sits in comfort and cleanliness during …
The water fetcher of Sirare
Admittedly we scare these kids when they suddenly saw a camera pointed at them. One of them ran and the other almost lost the content of the bucket she was carrying in an ultimate losing effort to avoid being in our shots. Strangers and African children, that is never a good combination. We all grow …
The wise old man
He is 93. Wise as an old fox. Maybe he is an old fox. He certainly talks the talk. We went to him for a totally different reason. But once we set our eyes on him, there was no way we were going to leave without having him on our canvas. He mind is sharp …
The young Mombasa student
A most awkward encounter. We were test-driving a car in Mombasa when this young student walked past. He had features that suited our lenses so we approached him for a shoot. He hesitated. we understood. How many times does a total stranger approach you on the streets to ask to take a picture of yours …
Fish seller in Migori
Migori. This fish seller felt standing alone in the picture was going to feel lonely. So what do you do when you don’t want to stand alone in the picture? You grab your fish and pose with them!
Happy fish seller Migori
The fish section of the Migori market is huge and can be very overwhelming. So when we brought out the camera to start shooting, this lady just came and said she really would like to be in the shoot. We gladly obliged. She loved it so much that she subtly went with us everywhere we …
Migori market women
When you have made 1000000 pictures with 100000 people, you will know that everyone sees the camera in different ways. This particular market woman in Migori, Kenya did not even once pause from what she was doing even though she knew her pictures (with her permission!) were being taken! Her companion saw the happy side …
Selfie on the Mombasa beach
These two beauties were standing on the cliff edge of the Indian Ocean in Mombasa doing what all young people do these days; taking selfies. And then we came along to disturb their peace and space. After a long, friendly conversation, they agreed to stand in front of the Femoree lenses but only on one …
The all-round coconut seller
He sells coconut but sells virtually everything that is sellable. It could have been cassava chips or just plain soda. Anything around and anything to make one feel comfortable. However after you have braved the hot, baking sun of Mombasa all you want to cool you down with some sweet coconut juice. And he is …
The car doctor of Mombasa
At the sick car clinic were so many doctors but none was more friendly and charming but at the same time more shy than this junior doctor. His speciality is tyres which he removes and replaces with surgical precisions! We don’t know if he actually eats candy but we can attest to the fact that …
The car technician, Mombasa
Mombasa. We came to the auto mobile hospital to test drive a car we wanted to buy. That did not work out well. However, once we were there we decided to speak with some of the doctors of this special clinic. One of them was this man who seen enough in this life to last …
The carriers of Mombasa
Mombasa. You can transport your heavy groceries and wares with a car or with a lorry. Or you could get physical and push and pull them like these guys. The advantage of this method is; you are always physically fit. You are in the open air and someone is paying you to carry their stuff …
Market trader Banjul
Have you ever seen a brighter smile on a market trader? Well this market trader in Banjul, The Gambia wore his smile with pride. We were busy having a recording session with some other people when he popped in with this smile. In fact he did us more service than brighting up our day with …
The cassava chips maker
If you are ever in Mombasa and ate tasty cassava chips, the chances are that this guy made them. Even as the sun was setting and the first glimpses of darkness was falling on the Indian Ocean behind him, he was still making delicious cassava chips on the glowing African stove. He seemed to be …
The Kabyle player of the night
Walking on a Saturday night on the Scheveningen beach, The Netherlands, this guy playing Kabyle music from Algeria proved too irresistible. The sound of his traditional guitar penetrating through the dark cold night was glorious. Even with little lights, we just had to have a him on our canvas and a video recording of him …
The coconut seller
You have the warm sun. You have a beautiful beach. And then you have the coconut sellers hawking fresh coconut waters and drinks along the vast Mombasa beach. Just the thing you need to cool you off after a long day soaking in the African sun.
The comedians of Migori
These kids made our time in Migori a very pleasant one. Every time we sat on the balcony overlooking their modest farmhouse, they would start clowning around and spontaneously entertaining us. They played, they cajoled, they ran, they danced. But importantly, they played hide and seek with our camera. Behold your comedians of the future.
The fish buyer in Migori
Where would the fish sellers be without the fish buyers? This man at the fish market in Migori quietly surveyed us and quietly asked for his picture to be taken too.
The fish seller of Migori
First everyone was looking at the camera like it was some kind of troubled kid in a day care centre. Then we began to snap and everyone wanted to be in the picture. The scene was at the fish section of the Migori central market in Kenya.
Reluctant friends in Sirare
These friends were pictured at a the entrance of a liquor bar in Sirare, Tanzania. At first she did not want to be in the picture. He on the other hand had no objection being photographed. So we made a picture of him alone and showed it to them both. That softened her defence and …
The injured old woman
This old Migori woman in her 70’s needed to sit down and catch her breath after being brought home on a boda-boda from the hospital where she had gone to treat her injured thigh. Lying next to her on the grass are the painkillers she got from the doctor.
I have a reputation for being a difficult
I have this reputation for being a difficult person to understand and to work with/for. I used to worry about that when I was 20 and I was at the university studying for my first degree. Even then I chose not to be popular but truthful. I used to worry about that when I was …
People, you all should just shut up!
People, you all should just shut up! You don’t know what you ever are talking about! In America the poor elect the billionaire who made his billions by ripping off the poor. In Britain the people voted for Brexit. Who are they putting their trust in to make Brexit a success? A prime minister who …
So you thought you knew me? Think again!
Most of you that know me, know me as the confident, self-assured, tall, sometimes friendly guy who seems to have what it takes to do whatever he wants. Without any self-doubt. I know this because I get told this on a daily basis. Not only by people who are true admirers but even by haters. …
A big headache
Those in the know will tell you making photographic shots of close family members can sometimes cause a big headache. People are less focussed. The shoot always goes past the allotted time. You take extra shots because you want to be sure to make your family members look even better than they are. When that …
Everybody is a winner
Photography is like sport. The more you practise the better you get. Sometimes the process of getting to know how the camera works can be tedious. When trying to decipher all the workings and settings of a camera like the state of the art Sony A99, you’ve got your work cut out. It is hard …
The happy biker
So there I was minding my own business along the Van Brienenoord bridge by the River Maas in Rotterdam. I was there partly to clear my head and partly to video graph the iconic bridge and also test some of the millions of functions on my camera I have never figured out earlier. I was …