(5/12) “I’d been rejected at the gate because I didn’t have a...

(5/12) “I’d been rejected at the gate because I didn’t have a ‘body of work,’ so after that day those words became very important to me. I spent all my time in the internet café, researching stories that belonged in a ‘body of work.’ I discovered a blog post about a community of women in Kenya, who had built a village to escape their abusive husbands. It was a village with no men. This was a profound idea to me, especially as an African man. It felt like a story that needed to be told. But the airfare alone would cost $600, which was all the money I had. It was money I’d been saving for Ella. She begged to come with me. She knew there were lions in Kenya. She really wanted to see a lion. And her school was near an airport, so she’d always wanted to fly on a plane. But all I could do was promise that we’d go back together one day. The women welcomed me warmly when I arrived. I spent three days living among them, and during this time I grew to respect them so much. Men had attacked their village many times, but somehow they persevered. They shared all their resources. They did all their own farming. While I was there they were building a school for their children. I tried to photograph them from below, like they were statues, or monuments. And when it was time to leave I felt so ashamed that I had nothing to offer them. I could only promise that I’d share their story with the world. When I got home I sent the photos to every publication: every newspaper, every magazine, every website. But I didn’t receive a single response. It was shameful. I felt so guilty for taking their time. I used the photos to create a GoFundMe, and was able to send them $70. It wasn’t much help. But at least I could show them my gratitude. My only remaining hope was to use the photos to apply for overseas programs. I filled out so many applications, and only one acceptance came back, from the International Center of Photography in New York. They even offered a half-scholarship. For the first few minutes I was so excited, but then reality set in. Even with the scholarship, the remaining tuition was $20,000, it might as well have been a million.”