UIS Alum documents, exhibits way of life in Kenyan slum

Febuary 24th, 2010
By Marianne Payne
News Reporter

The oldest, worst slum of Africa is a place of extremes.

“It’s the closest thing I have ever seen to hell on Earth. But you would never know talking to them. There is joy on their faces,” said Josh Hester, multimedia specialist for Memorial Health System and UIS graduate.

Mathare is a collection of slums in Nairobi, Kenya, and the home to about 500,000 people. Hester was asked by Bright Hope International to film and photograph Mathare Valley last September. He shot an estimated 4,000 photos and five hours of video on the trip.

“Witness: Mathare,” a mixed-media exhibition, just finished a six-week run at the Robert Morris University Art Gallery. The exhibit featured 33 photos and 45 minutes of video on continuous loop.

“The story I wanted to tell is: yes, desperate poverty, death, disease, all of that. But there is hope, love, faith, in among that,” said Hester, who hopes those who see his work will “discover some sort of truth in their own lives.”

“It's easy for us to see Africa as this far-off place and so their problems are not our problems,” Hester continued. “But this isn't true. The world’s much smaller than we think it is. And we don't realize the impact we can have.”

Kenya’s pseudo-democracy is extremely corrupt. There is a huge discrepancy in wealth, where one is born either into opulence or poverty, with no in-between. Surrounded by warring countries, Kenya is also constantly flooded by refugees.

Hester captured the brewing of chang’aa, which he calls the cancer of the valley. The illegal alcoholic drink provides an addicting escape for the residents of Mathare and big money for those who produce it.

Chang’aa has been at the center of gang violence and military crackdowns and remains a deadly force in the valley. Producers have been known to add battery acid, jet fuel, or thorazine to the mix. In 2005, a specific batch killed 27 people in one day.

Beyond the poverty and death is a light within the people that needs to be cultivated, according to Hester.

“Kenya is the hope for East Africa. If Kenya fails, then all of East Africa fails. If East Africa fails, then all of Africa fails,” said Hester, quoting his guide, Nigerian-born Potun. Potun was the first African to greet Hester at the airport and has since become a friend.

Donations collected from Hester’s exhibit go to the Mathare Community Outreach’s schools and feeding program. The program was started by Daniel Ogutu, who Hester calls “The Nelson Mandela of Mathare Valley”. The program has built schools, orphanages, and churches across western Kenya.

“Anyone can do what I did. All I did was go there and take pictures. Anyone can do it,” said Hester. “Too often, we make these problems too overwhelming in our minds. We push them far away and give up on the power we have to make a difference in somebody else’s life – no matter where they are.”