The Women of Kiwaiyu

We were up at the crack of dawn, I actaully saw the dawn cracking as the open air hut allowed for every anaimal noise and ray of light to enter into our consciousness. Although Cleber had gone to the beach to shoot early morning "teh best light" shots with flip flops and crabs, I wandered down to the main house only to be convinced by Julie to join her for a swim. The water was bathtub warm and left me even more relaxed than my little love hut evening sleep. We grabbed cleber and headed back for breakfast and then we were off.


The women of Kiwaiyu ranged in age but they are all Muslim and dressed in island traditional dress which consists of a few pieces of fabric which serve as a sarong and top. The name of this dress escapes me, but I will find it out as details are everything in this story. We spent the day in their workshop admiring the handicrafts which are for the most part beads, (think small macaroni) which are used to make curtains and bracelets and flowers, where are used as clips, and mobiles. A few children were present and so very very curious as to who we were. Julie took over and was talking business with the women running the shop, while Cleber shot photos and I played assistant. I even was coherced into trying on a pair of orange linen striped pants with a charming fringe, which were a hit and yet another 500 schillings was offered to the workshop. God knows when I'm going use these pants. Should you see them on me, be kind. After the workshop shoot, we followed the women deeper into the villlage to visit with them in their homes so that Cleber could take shots of them in a more domestic setting. The people of Kiwaiyu are not poor, they live simply and there is an important difference as they are healthy and are able to provide for their family while living off the land and from the various products that they receive from Lamu. Any extra money they received goes directly to helping their family build brick homes as opposed to the wooden and metal boxes that some continue to inhabit, as well funny enough they relish the opportunity to buy their daughters or themselves gold earrings. Fancy that.


We were offered coconuts fresh with coconut juice which we gladly enjoyed, it was all a little surreal. Elspecially watching them cut them open with machetes. We slowly made our way out of the village, not before Julie had the chance to talk with some of her key artists that apparently given an order to Mike, even after she had left a deposit but was having difficulty transferring the money. It seems that money transfers are one of the obstacles that Julie faces and which gives her countless headaches. If only paypal existed in Kenya. If anyone has any good ideas, feel free to let me know how we can help her!

Back at the camp, we ate a lovely lunch prepared by the two girls from the village. We were to head off shortly after lunch to view turtle eggs that apparently were hatching along the coast. Due to a comedy of errors, it didn't happen. But we had a wonderful time walking along the beach as night fell. With only the stars to accompany us home. Dinner was a special affair as they had set up a table with the chairs having been set up to resemble a head table at a marriage or state dinner, and mattresses just nearby where we could laydown and watch the stars. We dined on fresh crab and enjoyed fresh fruit juices of mango and papaya that had been made that day.... it felt good to be alive.