In the December issue of the journal City, Nazia Parvez of the Department of Geography at University College London extends Wainaina’s point into the realm of photography. While most people expect the written word to collect a certain amount of bias during its journey from the brain to the hand, we tend to think of photographs as stark depictions of the truth. But whose truth, Parvez wants to know. That of the African people being photographed, or of the Westerners taking the photos?
…But while she agrees that conditions there are dreadful and in need of improvement, she also believes the typical images of the slum fail to capture the true spirit of life there. Instead of showing the “resilience, resourcefulness, playfulness and quiet daily rituals,” most photographs of Kroo Bay depict only evidence of its poverty, Parvez writes. As a result these images “reinforce existing narratives” and tug at the heart-strings often so certain groups can attract donations. Instead of reflecting reality they offer but a “pseudo-reality that flickers and fades,”…
