Bioetika went on a unique journey to Kenya together with Julia Svede from Culture Up.
Well, not literally, but via photo exhibition project “Asante, Kenya!” in Riga. Julia undertook an internship in Kenyan capital Nairobi last year and this summer she decided to share her adventures in photos and a presentation. “People usually ask me two questions: “why did you go to Africa?” and “wasn’t it scary?”, Julia started her presentation in Coffee Inn, Riga this August.
Surrounded by pictures of Kenyan people and exotic animals, Julia took the audience on a safari to this East African country. Safari means “journey” in KiSwahili language, by the way. Julia’s background and passions explain why she ended up in Kenya. Originally from Riga, Latvia, Julia is a traveller at heart keen to explore different corners of the world. With Bachelor’s in Culture Management and work experience in journalism and PR, she got interested in cultural heritage. When Julia stumbled upon the ad of internship opportunity at Trust for African Rock Art (TARA), she applied immediately.
The organisation is committed to documenting rock art sites around Africa, participating in conservation projects and spreading awareness about rock art. Kenya stole Latvian girl’s heart forever: “I didn’t expect that Kenya would impress me so much and divide my life into “before and after”. Feeling grateful to this country and its people for the incredible experiences, Julia decided to share the moments she grasped with her camera: children, women, animals, daily lives of local people. This is Julia’s very first photo exhibition and presentation about Kenya. “I am an amateur and a newbie in photography, but I really wanted to show people in Riga, what a wonderful country it is.” Indeed, “Asante, Kenya!” debunked the myth of Africa being a scary unwelcoming place.
Bioetika supported Julia’s (Culture Up) project from A to Z: installing the exhibition, making videos and photos, providing informative support. More information about Organisation itself and other interesting facts about culture and rock art, you can find here: http://africanrockart.org