Mathare Stories

Make all of your Dreams come true.

Shot on Phone by ©Adan Galma

It's been a while since I was last seen in the streets.
Enjoy this Photo of a man carrying heavy load on his back amidst the pandemic.

Photo by ©Adan Galma .galma

We are so fragile, us humans
it can be realised in the blink of an eye
a bout of sickness
a terrible accident
yet at the same time
we can endure so much
pain, suffering and loss
sadness, loneliness and worse
our bones break and heal
our minds wither and mend.
Together we can pull through
the discrepancy of
our bodies fragility and the mind's will.
We have strength in numbers
We find solace in companionship
We are not solitary creatures
We are man and woman
father and child, mother and daughter,
lovers, friends and whether we like it
or not, we are neighbours.

I cry when my fellow man dies
a part of me dies when my mother cries
I scream in frustration for my sisters
seemingly still living in a man's world
I long for success
but never at another's expense
when you suffer I suffer
when I suffer you suffer
so much suffering, so much pain
we are too quick to place the blame
and fall short on finding a solution
that works for all of us
we are individuals in togetherness
we are all the links that give us protection
and we are all the chinks
in this armour.

Photo by ©Adan Galma .galma

This image is from my photo project, "Walls talk Covid", a series documenting how the residents of Mathare Slums are coping with Covid 19 and the safety measures they have set to stop the spread in the slum.
Most of the walls/ public spaces found in Mathare are occupied with Murals that are painted to educate the residents, and mostly the children since they are at a higher risk of getting infected with the killer disease.

Photo by ©Adan Galma

Daily life activities and back street warnings.

Photo by © Ādan Galma

Mathare, where I was born and raised has a population of approximately 500,000 people. Despite all the bad descriptions of the slum, there are a lot of other positive stories that hasn't been told yet!

Caption: Moses enjoying the beautiful view of Mathare at an aerial point.

Photo by ©Adan Galma

New normal at a local hotel.

Photo by ©Adan Galma

Evening shower in the slum.

Photo by ©Adan Galma

Clean Water for sale. A lady fetching water at a water point designed to help people acquire water at a less affordable cost all over the slum.

Photo by ©Adan Galma

Hustles amidst the pandemic.

Photo by ©Adan Galma

A beautiful portrait of Dianah.

Photo by ©Adan Galma

Zilizala Viwanjani.

Photo by ⒸAdan Galma