Kenya, 1996
A Photograph by Robert Lyons
From an unseen opening, light falls onto his face and t-shirt. He is poised between a wall and table, steadying his fingers on a class roster. A globe sits behind him, as well as a handbell. There is a sequenced array of rulers resting against the mud bricks, some of which cut across the length of his shorts. His gaze is outward, practiced in its melancholy; his suave is easy. That he tilts his slender body as so is the result of either a request by the photographer or his general tendency for swagger. That the photograph was taken from the threshold of an adjoining room, makes the map the farthest reach of this frame.
— Emmanuel Iduma
“Simon Kutik, Unaccompanied Minor, age 14, Kakuma Primary School, Kenya.”
I was and still am an outsider to Africa. I am a foreigner who brings my own preferences, biases, and tastes to what I see. It is this outsider perspective that is at the core of [Another Africa.] Through the process of returning time and again to Africa, my perspective has evolved. Coupled with a practiced naivete, this perspective has allowed me to enter situations often unnerving or uncomfortable to peer into, and create imagery that is simultaneously from within and without. I continually choose that moment, that light, that gesture, and that framing to construct the image. It is difficult to put into words what the sum of those idiosyncratic choices is, except to say that, taken together, they present a specific style of seeing…
I have kept journals of my travels throughout the past nine years. Sometimes I’ve only notated names and addresses of individuals to whom I wish to send or bring back photographs; at other times, views of a particular time and place.
— Robert Lyons
EDITORIAL NOTE: This statement was first published as part of the photographer’s note in Another Africa, a book of photographs by Robert Lyons with an essay and poems by Chinua Achebe. It is reproduced with the photographer’s permission.
About Robert Lyons
Robert Lyons lives and works in Portland, Oregon. He has taught extensively in the USA and Europe at various institutions including: Emily Carr College of Art & Design, University of Washington, Photographic Center Northwest, International Center of Photography, and the Ostkreuzschule in Berlin. Lyons received his BA in Photography form Hampshire College (Amherst, MA) and his MFA from Yale University. His work has been shown internationally for over 40 years. He is the Founder and Director of The Hartford Art School International Limited Residency MFA Program at the University of Hartford. See more of his work on his website.
LAST WEEK: “Man, Dog, Surfboard” by Danielle Almona
We walked to the surf club building, put our bags away and I stood on the balcony because the view was breathtaking. The sun was setting and groups of friends had taken to the waves, locals who sold fresh coconut water vouched for their unmatched prices and couples walked down the shore, hands intertwined. Still looking down, I noticed the person in the frame. He looked very deep in thought or maybe he was taking in the environment the same way I was. The dog ran into the frame as I was about to take the photograph and it felt perfect. A few minutes later he was balanced on his surfboard in sync with the waves.
This is the 97th edition of this publication, which also read on web (best for viewing images), and via the Substack iOS/Android apps.
TENDER PHOTO is a bi-weekly newsletter on African photography. Every Wednesday we feature a photograph and a short caption about it, and include a statement from the photographer. Every Friday, we publish commentaries or photo-essays in response to photographs previously featured on the newsletter. The most recent series is INDEX. Our goal is to work with African photographers by creating a platform in which they lead the cataloguing and engagement with their work.
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Kenya, 1996.
What do we have here, really; a school office, an unfinished house, or a world of imagination? Through an opening from the uncompleted roof, daylight streams into a room made of mud bricks, with parts chipping off. Lght shines on the bust of a young person, contrasting a white T-shirt. Fingers of the left hand rest solidly on a wooden table. They support the body's angular pose. A watch or bracelet that catches the light adorns the wrist. Staring ahead, the intensity of the gaze reveals that there are no walls in the mind’s eye. On the centre of a far wall hangs an imposing map. The table offers sheets of paper, a school bell, and a globe. Beyond the rulers on the wall, the chair behind the globe, the individual, the striking hues, the walls, and borders on the map, there is more to learn from this picture.