A lone acacia tree on the golden savanna beneath low hills, Maasai Mara, Kenya
Nº 14Travel PhotographyKenya

Kenya

Understanding them is understanding us.

A travel and documentary photography series across the Great Rift Valley, Maasai Mara, Watamu, and Kilifi.

“Welcome home,” our driver said after we pulled over at a viewpoint of the Great Rift Valley.

Some of the oldest human remains have been found here, dating back millions of years.

A hot-air balloon drifting low over the plains at dawn, a herd grazing below, Maasai Mara, Kenya
A vast empty golden plain with a single distant acacia under a wide sky, Kenya
A Maasai man in a red shuka with a staff standing beneath a large acacia, Kenya
A smiling Maasai man in beaded jewellery holding his spears, Kenya
A full-maned male lion walking down a dirt track toward the camera, a safari vehicle behind, Maasai Mara, Kenya
Two elephants grazing the open savanna, a bull in front, Maasai Mara, Kenya
A Maasai man in a lion-mane headdress blowing a horn, red shuka and beadwork, Kenya
Maasai warriors performing the adumu jumping dance, one leaping high, Kenya

It was a surreal feeling, thinking about where we’ve come from. Surreal, infuriating, and humbling. If we all come from the same place (and we’re ending up in the same place), why is there so much hate? So much indifference? We’ve forgotten where we come from the further we’ve gotten from home.

An ostrich running across the plain, smoke from a distant fire behind, Kenya
A visitor and a Maasai guide with a dog walking a dirt track through the bush, Kenya
A herd of buffalo grazing the savanna under a blue, cloud-dotted sky, Kenya
A Maasai man in a pink shuka with a spear standing on a red-earth mound, green hills behind, Kenya
A wooden boat pulled up on a muddy shore beneath a large tree at the water's edge, coastal Kenya
A woman in a patterned dress walking a footpath up a grassy hill, Kenya
A white 4x4 parked by a wall of bougainvillea and palms in a coastal town, Kenya
A roadside clothing stall hung with colourful garments beside coconuts, Kenya
Young men with a motorbike resting under a roadside tree, Kenya
Two men sitting in the shade of trees by a fenced compound wall, Kenya
A man seated in the doorway of a weathered coral-stone house, coastal Kenya
A person paddling a small canoe on a creek at dusk, forested banks, Kilifi, Kenya
Fishermen and their wooden boats on a landing beach, 'Ukupigao 4' among them, coastal Kenya

Maybe this is why travel is so important and impactful. As we meet other folks and learn their ways, we’re reconnecting with our past and building a better picture of ourselves. Understanding them is understanding us.

We’re coming home.

A portrait of a smiling musician in a red headwrap and sunglasses playing guitar, Kenya
A whitewashed house with a flowering bush against a blue sky, coastal Kenya
A lush lodge garden of palms and banana plants with wire furniture, Kenya
A sweeping view from the escarpment over the hazy Great Rift Valley, Kenya
Three zebras grazing beneath an acacia and towering clouds, Maasai Mara, Kenya
A lone acacia beside a dirt road on the golden Mara plains, Kenya
A family of elephants with a calf on the savanna, Maasai Mara, Kenya
An elephant and calf crossing a dirt track on the plains, dust rising behind, Kenya
Words & pictures — Jacob SigalaThe Great Rift ValleyThirty plates