When we were in Kenya last July, I committed to making a short video about the project and I'm very happy to say that it's now ready!
It wasn't easy though. We interviewed a few people in Kenya and when I came back, eager to get working on it, I tried listening to the interviews but somehow, while looking at the photos was easy, hearing these voices that I knew were now so far away was a real struggle.
Anyway, I finally, got the courage to sit down and listen to them late last year and started editing...putting sound to images. I miss the kids so much, it's still weird to hear their voices but I hope that I've done them justice and I hope that you can take something from their stories.
Josephat. Good dude. Always wanting to make photo. HIV+ but one of the most healthy looking of the bunch. (Photo by Felix Ojuang)
The touring Pieces of Innocence exhibit that has been going on since October 2008 has 16 photos in total and so far, that's pretty much all the public has seen. This video is special because it features 66 photos and interviews with two kids (Lorine and Peter) along with Sister Philomena who managed the orphanage.
It's 7 minutes 27 seconds long so as far as internet videos go, it's kind of a behemoth but please do watch. The kids deserve it for real.
A page from Lorine's photography journal. This guy was totally joksing.
Also, the song the kids are singing at the start and end goes something like "Sisi watoto tuna akisetu" which is Kiswahili for "We, the children, have rights." The best part about this song was that the kids first sang it to us when we gave them soccer balls. Reacting to some kids who didn't want to share, others joined together in a loud chorus as if not getting a ball of their own was a human rights violation up there with child trafficking. Oh so adorable and oh so real.
Watch it here
And since we're so web savvy:
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