Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 338

I asked the mother for a photo, but she said the decision was up...

I asked the mother for a photo, but she said the decision was up to her son. So I asked the boy. He stood up, walked over, looked me up and down, and said: “Prove to me you’re not a terrorist.”

(Kampala, Uganda)

"A few years ago, I got a call on my cell phone from a twelve...

"A few years ago, I got a call on my cell phone from a twelve year old child from my village. He was calling me from a bus stop. He’d taken a bus into the city alone, and he was calling me to ask if I could help him find a way to go to school. Both of his parents had died of AIDS, and he had no money for tuition. I told him to stay where he was, and left work immediately to pick him up. At first I was very mad at him. He should not have travelled alone. But then I looked at him and I saw myself. I’d also been desperate to go to school after my father was killed, but we had no money. So even though I was suffering myself, I told him I would try to help him. My salary was not enough, so I tried many things to get the money. After work, I went to the landfill to hunt for recyclables. But after I paid to have them cleaned, there was no money left. Now I’m trying to make bricks. I have a small operation in the village to make bricks, and I sell them in the city. It doesn’t make much money, but it’s enough to pay tuition for the boy and three of his siblings.” 

(Kampala, Uganda)

"I was seven years old when it happened. It was about 9 pm...

"I was seven years old when it happened. It was about 9 pm at night. We heard the neighbors screaming so we knew that the rebels were in the village. There were many people visiting in my house at the time, so all the men gathered in the main room. We had no guns, only knives. Soon the dog started barking, then we heard footsteps, and then we heard a knock on the door. They started calling for my father to come out. We didn’t answer, so they started shooting into the house. Everyone pushed against the door to try to keep it closed, but they knocked it down. My father saw that he couldn’t run, so he gave himself up. They took him away. Then they gathered all the men and boys, and marched us out of the back of the house. My brother tried to jump and climb up on the roof, but they saw him and shot him. I knew I had to try something different, so I waited until we were rounding a corner, and I jumped into a bush, and I kept crawling until I reached the other side, then I got up and ran. I ran all the way to the neighbor’s house, but they turned me away and locked the door. So I hid all night in the graveyard. The next day I returned to my house. They’d taken everything. They dumped my sick mother onto the floor and took her mattress. I found my father’s body in the barn. They’d cut off his arms and his legs.”

(Kampala, Uganda)

"I dropped out of college to start my own business. Some study...

"I dropped out of college to start my own business. Some study the roots, and others pick the fruits."

(Kampala, Uganda)

"Even if you punish her, she’s singing two minutes...

"Even if you punish her, she’s singing two minutes later."

(Nairobi, Kenya)

"I want to be a pilot.""What will be the hardest part about...

"I want to be a pilot."
"What will be the hardest part about being a pilot?"
"When the plane crashes."

(Nairobi, Kenya)

"I’m trying to penetrate the market."(Nairobi, Kenya)

"I’m trying to penetrate the market."

(Nairobi, Kenya)

"I want to be a lawyer."(Nairobi, Kenya)

"I want to be a lawyer."

(Nairobi, Kenya)

“On the closing day of school, they chose him to be a presenter...

“On the closing day of school, they chose him to be a presenter at the awards ceremony. He got up on stage and sang ‘The Wind Beneath My Wings.’”
“Did you cry?”
“Of course I did.”

(Nairobi, Kenya)

"When they don’t think I’m watching, they do the...

"When they don’t think I’m watching, they do the funniest things. They are always dancing together. I found them in the kitchen yesterday, pretending to cook."
"What’s your greatest worry as a parent?"
"Their health. They’re always getting sick from the cold and the dust. Sometimes the dust gets so bad, they lose their voices."

(Nairobi, Kenya)