Photojournalism in Kenya is largely underdeveloped but growing. Because of the nation’s colonial history, Kenya has somewhat different photojournalistic traditions than other African nations. The most famous Kenyan photojournalist is Robert Nickelsberg, who covered the civil wars of Mozambique and Liberia before photographing in Kenya for several years.
The main problem with Kenyan photojournalism is its lack of access to international news wires. As a result, Kenyan photographers are often forced to rely upon the Associated Press, Reuters, and Agence France Presse for their photographs. There is only one daily newspaper in Kenya with a dedicated photo department (The Daily Nation). Still, even such departments within newspapers are frequently underfunded and treated as an afterthought rather than as integral parts of the journalism process.
There has been some movement toward greater professionalization of photojournalism, however. For example, The Nairobi Photo Club, formed in 1999 and is still active today, aims “to create awareness about contemporary photography through exhibitions and training.”
One factor that makes it difficult to establish a strong tradition of photojournalistic culture in Kenya is the lack of photographic education opportunities. There are very few photography schools in Kenya, and most photographers gain their experience through self-study or apprenticing with other photojournalists. Despite the difficulties Kenyan photojournalists face, however, they have won praise for their work; Kenyans themselves seem to appreciate how photojournalistic images convey truths about war without falling into stereotypes of barbaric Africans.
The Photographers Association of Kenya, formed in 1960, has been an important part of this cultural development process. Many famous African photographers have passed through its ranks over the years, including Robert Nickelsberg.
Photojournalism in Kenya is largely undeveloped because there are not many journalism jobs available to practice your photojournalism skills. Therefore, there is a need to make it a more official department.
If you want to start your career in photojournalism in Kenya, you need to be creative and flexible. You can’t rely on other people or organizations to provide you with opportunities.
It’s important to have formal training instead of just picking up skills from others and self-teaching for photojournalism. In addition, you should be able to position yourself for jobs by networking with other photojournalists and organizations you might be interested in working for.
Photojournalism in Kenya is underdeveloped but growing. There need to be more training opportunities and better funding for photojournalistic organizations.
Kenyan photographers are praised for their work; Kenyans themselves seem to appreciate how photojournalistic images convey truths about war without falling into stereotypes of barbaric Africans. You should be able to position yourself for jobs by networking with other photojournalists and organizations you might be interested in working for.
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