Work in process

working title: fearing nation

Being Gay is not well accepted in Kenyan society and even labeled as un-African.  The vice-president of Kenya, William Ruto, even said that Kenyans are against homosexuality, because Kenya is a God-fearing nation. A penal code exists that forbids “indecent practices”. Whereby homosexual acts are labeled as unnatural offences. Even though these penal codes exist, people are not arrested for being gay.  This does not mean that being gay in Kenya is easy. Every day gays are faced with discrimination, being outcast, expelled from school, evicted from their homes, harassment and even rape. Therefore coming out in Kenya is difficult and many gays are forced staying closeted. "Fearing Nation" is a ungoing project. 

credits:
"Fearing Nation" is made possible by the Kenyan organisation AFRA

work in process

At first sight, the staged series’ seemingly harmonic images of naked bodies attract the attention of the viewer. At closer examination though, it becomes clear that these images refer to elements from the cruel past of Trans-Atlantic slavery.

The series are inspired by iconic images from the history of slavery such as slave ships, the ‘Spaanse Bok’ and hanged corpses of runaway slaves. It also contains less violent imagery such as an image of shoes, a distinctive feature between freed slaves and slaves who were still ‘voluntarily mandatory’ employed.

CREDITS:

Models NG and Mohamed Naaleye
Styling Mandy Franca
MUA Grazina
Photography assistant Sandim Mendes

work title: Imagination of the inner truth