Public Project
Then and Now With Matata
It's May 8, 2022, and I am informed Matata is going to become a father. I have to photograph the parents to be. And honestly, if I don't, no one else will.
Following the commencement of my documentation of Kawangware in 2020, one of Nairobi's urban-informal settlement areas, I met Matata, and have been fortunate to document his strides in music. Even more glorious is that I have lived to see the day Matata becomes a father. Matata is 1/3 Chaka Rappers, an underground hip-hop boyband based in Kawangware, Nairobi, and is the eldest member of the group.
Matata, 27, and his girlfriend, Shiku, 22, are now proud parents of a healthy baby girl, who will be turning a year old in August.
When I visited them yesterday at their home in Amboseli, Kawangware, I could only take portraits of the couple alone as the child was asleep. I was a bit bumped out but I pressed on nonetheless. The spot I last photographed them was an open area, a yard, with lots of space to roam and some nice green, fairly long grass. I am met with a drastic change in structure as I found out more informal residential houses were erected to accommodate the growing population. Consequently, I had to find another spot for the portrait session and I came across a vibrant red door of a nearby church and also made a point to photograph them infront of their home.
After the photo session, which was brief as Shiku wasn't feeling well, Matata and I took a walk deeper into Kawangware. We went through Mwananchi toward an area known as Gaza. The walk was unfulfilling for Matata as the person he was looking for was away. We then decided to head to Kings' house for a cool down. I haven't seen Kings in months and therefore took some time to catch up. Ghetto banter, a good time and some smoke filled the room.
I notice something as the evening unfolds. Matata whips out his phone and I spot a vibrant image that grips my attention. Naturally, his wallpaper is a picture of his daughter. I proceed to take a photo of said wallpaper. And that is how I didn't leave Amboseli without a photograph of the baby. God works in mysterious ways. :)
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