What Khadija Farah saw
Look closely at this photograph. Let your eyes stay with it, and ask yourself, "What am I really seeing?"
Four Maasai women stand tall against the open horizon, their shukas wrapped in vibrant hues of crimson, indigo and amber. In each hand they hold hand-beaded jewellery, necklaces and hoops woven from glass beads whose colours carry stories of status, dowry and community pride. Their gaze meets ours steadily, reminding us that these pieces are not mere trinkets but extensions of identity.
The light grazes each bead, setting off gleams of turquoise and coral. Behind them, the Kenyan plain stretches vast and untamed, an echo of the resilience these women embody. Here, culture is not a commodity carved away for commerce; it is living heritage, carried on shoulders as surely as on their necks and wrists.
Through her gaze; Khadija Farah captures both beauty and burden. As a Kenyan photojournalist rooted in African stories, she knows the meaning threaded into every strand of beadwork. She frames these women not as curiosities for Western markets, but as architects of their own narratives, artisans whose labour sustains families and communities. Her lens honours their craft while exposing the injustice of outside brands profiting from their labour and undervaluing their culture.
“We put a lot of care in making our jewellery, each colour means something different. And each piece we wear reflects our status in our community, or how many cows we got for our dowry. We sell the jewellery because we know people want a piece of our culture and because in this world cows are not enough. But when big companies make money from our hard work we feel cheated; they buy cheap and sell dear, yet our culture is not for sale.” - Khadijah M. Farah
From Nairobi to the savannah, Khadija Farah’s work explores the nexus of culture, commerce and agency. Self-taught and driven by human rights stories, she brings empathy to every frame, revealing not only what these women wear but why it matters.
This photograph is not simply to view but to understand. Through Khadija’s gaze we are called to question who profits from tradition and to honour the stories bead by bead. What do you see, and how will you respect the value woven into every colour?
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At theBLKGZE, we don’t just reflect the world, we reshape it. We’re building an archive that centres Black vision and truth. We reclaim the frame. We archive what’s been silenced. We honour the everyday and the extraordinary in Black life.
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