Through the eyes of children
Earlier this year—roughly two weeks after Blakey returned from a study abroad program in Kenya—violence erupted after elections in the east African nation. More than 1,000 people have been killed and more than 300,000 displaced by the violence.
Upon hearing of the widespread chaos, Blakey’s first thought was about his 10 school-aged photography students. As part of a one-month project in a slum of Nairobi, Blakey gave the children disposable cameras and asked them to illustrate their lives with photos. The poignant images cemented Blakey’s appreciation for cultural differences.
Shortly after news of the violence reached Blakey, he spoke briefly on the phone with his host brother.
“He told me, ‘You have to get the cameras back in the hands of the kids,” Blakey said.
The UO international studies major did just that, wiring money for cameras and processing costs. Only three of his original 10 students could be found amid the violence. A few weeks later, however, Blakey received an envelope of photos in the mail from the the students. Now’s it’s Blakey’s mission to share the images with the rest of the world.
“I want to help Americans see the violence in Kenya not through the eyes of journalists or foreigners, but through the eyes of children,” he says. “Ultimately, it would be great to publish the photos and set up a foundation to help get cameras in the hands of Kenyan youth.”
Watch and listen as Blakey narrates a slideshow of the students’ work, HERE.