British High Commission to launch a book “KOINONIA: SELF-PORTRAITS BY NAIROBI STREET CHILDREN”

NAIROBI--The British High Commission in Nairobi will on Monday April 18 2011 at 2 PM host the book launch of Koinonia: Self portraits by Nairobi Street Children, a limited edition charity publication that documents photographs and drawings made by 21 street boys from Kibera slums in Nairobi. The content of the book was collected in 2006 during a workshop conducted by British artist David Fulford in collaboration with the Koinonia Community.

The book is a collection of visual self-portraits that presents each boy’s personal visual world. Leading through the narrow streets and into the slum dwellings of Kibera, the boys’ images provide an intimate representation of children's lived experience on the streets of Kibera.

“Following events at Present London and Partners & Spade New York, this is the third and most significant book launch. The project began here in Kenya and it is important to celebrate the book with the children who were involved from the beginning and to share their stories with people here in Nairobi” said Fulford.

The Journey began in 2006 when Fulford travelled to Nairobi to begin a collaborative portrait project. From the small turquoise classroom of 'Ndugu Mdogo', a rescue centre for street children in the Kibera Slums, Fulford conducted a two week workshop in photography and drawing for 21 boys, aged 7 to 14, who regularly attended the centre.

The workshop focused on 'Self-Portrait', and encouraged the boys to consider various elements that constitute a self portrait; the people, objects and surroundings that define an individual in their environment. Using simple 'point-and-shoot' disposable cameras, the boys then left the classroom, with an idea to collect images that would in some way define themselves.

Published in 2010, the book tells a remarkable and personal story about life on Nairobi’s streets. Through photographs of situations, artifacts and people, as well as recent written notes made by the boys in 2009 looking back on their images, Koinonia: Self portraits by Nairobi Street Children is a charity publication, and all profits from sales of the book are being donated to raise funds for Koinonia Community projects.The book is available for purchase in stores and online via the project site : www.portraitsofnairobi.com