Boniface Mwangi

Boniface Mwangi

Mwangi in 2012

Mwangi in 2012
Born (1983-07-10) 10 July 1983
Residence Nairobi, Kenya
Nationality Kenyan
Occupation Photojournalist
Website bonifacemwangi.com

Boniface Mwangi (born July 10, 1983) is an award-winning[1][2][3] Kenyan photojournalist involved in social-political activism through his initiative Kenya Ni Kwetu (Kenya is our Home). He is known for his images of the post-election violence that hit Kenya in 2007–2008. He is also the founder of Picha Mtaani,[4] a youth-led peace initiative that primarily seeks to create space for young people to reconcile and become agents of reconciliation to their respective communities.[5]

Early life

Mwangi was born in Taveta, on the Kenya-Tanzania border. His mother was a businesswoman who traded across the border. Mwangi was moved to live with his grandparents' home in Nyeri, Central Kenya, when he was six years old. He would encounter linguistic challenges, having learned Kiswahili from birth – the country's national language that is widely spoken across East and Central Africa – although Gikuyu is the language most spoken in Central Kenya.

Mwangi later moved with his mother to live in Nairobi’s low-income suburb of Ngara, then a highrise in Majengo, Githurai 45, before finally settling in Pangani. Mwangi dropped in and out of school during this period and helped his mother vend books.[4]

Journalism

When his mother died in 2000, Mwangi, then 17, decided he had to change if he was to survive. He joined a Bible school with the intention of becoming a pastor, and secured a diploma in Bible Studies. Whilst at school he became interested in photography. He was influenced by the Kenyan photographer Mohamed Amin.

Despite not having a high school education, Mwangi managed to gain a place at a private journalism school. To fund his studies he had to continue selling books on the street, but soon began to gain experience as a photojournalist. He published photographs in the national newspaper The Standard, and in 2005 won his first photography prizes. Within three years he received international recognition as one of Africa’s most promising photographers. He was awarded the 2008 and 2010 CNN Africa Photojournalist of the Year Award.

However, he put his photography career on hold, to work on Kenyan social justice.

Activism

Mwangi quit journalism after witnessing and documenting post-election violence in Kenya in 2007 as a newspaper photographer. He experienced posttraumatic stress and depression (and he was also directly affected having to move temporarily after people of his community were being threatened). More importantly, he was frustrated he had to cover the same politicians that had incited the violence, but remained unpunished.

His first initiative was the project Picha Mtaani, Swahili for street exhibition, showing photographs of the violence in 2007 after the national elections, between the different tribes. This travelling street exhibition was shown around the country for people to discuss reconciliation and promote national healing. Over 600.000 people saw the exhibition. This was later complimented by the documentary Heal the Nation, which was shown mostly in slum areas.

Following these initiatives Mwangi started to develop a stronger human rights stance in his work on fighting (political and corporate) impunity, speaking out against bad and corrupt political leadership and promoting a message of peace for the elections planned for 2013 with initiatives called MaVulture and Kenya ni Kwetu. Kenya Ni Kwetu (Kenya is our Home) is a Nairobi-based lobby that strives to enable a patriotic citizens’ movement to take bold and effective actions in building a new Kenya.

His latest initiative is Pawa 254, a hub and space for artists and activists to work together towards social change and advancing human rights in Kenyan society.

Personal life

He is married to Hellen Njeri Mwangi, who works with him on his initiatives and is the mother of their three children (Simphiwe, Sifa, and Mboya).

Honours and awards

References

  1. ↑ http://www.marketwatch.com/story/2012-principal-prince-claus-award-to-argentinian-publishing-co-operative-elo%C3%ADsa-cartonera-2012-09-06
  2. ↑ http://www.rnw.nl/africa/article/kenyan-photojournalist-wins-another-prestigious-award
  3. ↑ http://niaje.com/kenyas-boniface-mwangi-becomes-youngest-ever-recipient-of-prestigious-prize/
  4. 1 2 http://pichamtaani.org/about/the-team/
  5. ↑ http://pichamtaani.org/about/the-project/

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, January 05, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.