For storytellers like us, there’s something magical about a project that has only one, pure goal: to make storytellers of others.
That’s Resilience Through Our Eyes, easily one of the most inspiring jobs any of us at Flow has worked on. There were no PR metrics, no prizes, no return-on-investment expectations; just a desire to add life-changing value to young Africans.
It’s a project of the Resilience Initiative Africa (RIA), an initiative of the German government (BMZ) and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
RIA is committed to transforming how African cities anticipate and prepare for climate and other disaster-related risks. It helps regional, national and local governmental and non-governmental organisations and communities to identify and address risks, and supports climate resilience and sustainable urban development across the continent.
RIA works with organisations including the African Union Commission, the Southern African Development Community, the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction and Slum Dwellers International to facilitate technical training, support peer-to-peer exchange, promote inclusive disaster risk management strategies and support the African Union’s Africa Urban Resilience Programme.
Flow has done a range of work for RIA, including visual branding and content development, but Resilience Through Our Eyes represented a fresh, unusual task. We were asked to find 18- to 35-year-olds in sub-Saharan Africa and challenge them: using pictures taken with your smartphone (along with a written summary), tell us stories of resilience in your community.
For Flow project manager Nontobeko Zuma, Resilience Through Our Eyes would become a labour of love. “Being part of the RIA project has taught me that resilience is found in the details, and in this project, it is found in the stories that the 12 young people have told through their pictures.
“The opportunity that GIZ and RIA have given these young individuals is incredible; the world deserves to hear their stories, and I am honoured to have been part of such a beautiful initiative,” she says.
The call went out in early October last year and, following dozens of submissions, 12 finalists – from Zambia, Namibia, Tanzania, Kenya and Ghana – were selected. In November they flew to Kenya for three intensive days of training with professional photographers (Brian Otieno and Natalia Jidovano), where they learned how to use cameras, studied photography ethics and honed their nascent visual storytelling skills.
Then they went home for three months of fieldwork, complemented by ongoing mentorship from their trainers. The finalists, in pairs in their home communities, were now given professional cameras to use and share, as well as a small stipend to cover their costs, and let loose to find great stories of resilience.
“My experience working on the Resilience Through Our Eyes project has been amazing. Along the way, I made mistakes, got corrected and faced challenges, but each experience helped me learn and grow,” says Rosemary Kabosha, of Zambia.
Of the 12 finalists, seven storytellers’ work was chosen for a travelling exhibition; StagePass, a Nairobi firm, printed their photographs and helped set up their exhibition booth. It made its debut at the RIA Partners and Steering Committee Meeting in March, and recently featured at a most appropriate event: the second Africa Urban Forum (AUF2) in Nairobi, an African Union Commission-led initiative to address Africa’s pressing urban housing challenge (the shortage currently stands at an estimated 50-million units).
Nontobeko, who also attended AUF2, says the storytellers acquitted themselves well there: “They’re very passionate about their stories, and they were very enthusiastic about being interviewed about them.”
This is borne out by the storytellers themselves, who were clearly blown away by the impact their photographic stories had, not only on themselves but also on AUF2’s delegates.
“I witnessed first-hand how visual storytelling can humanise data and start discussions about the people driving urban transformation,” says Desmond Tetteh Narh, of Ghana. “Visitors were constantly reminded by our photo story booth that every statistic represents a family, a street and a future.”
“At the forum I was able to meet different people from different backgrounds, from Africa and outside Africa, and I managed to explain what my pictures meant. The exhibition was a success, and many people were engaging with and relating to the pictures,” says Kenyan Paul Muturi.
Says Ann Wambuli, also of Kenya, “The stories reflected the everyday struggles, strength and resilience of communities, making urban realities visible and deeply human. My key takeaway is that young people are not just participants but active drivers of urban resilience, shaping change through lived experience, solidarity and collective action.”
“Being part of the Resilience Through Our Eyes programme and participating in the Africa Urban Forum highlighted the critical role of documenting and elevating community knowledge, ensuring that grassroots voices inform global urban and climate agendas,” says Zambian Bright Lwembe.
His compatriot, Rosemary, continues: “I was happy to share my work with different people at the Africa Urban Forum in Kenya, and see how they connected with and learned from my story. It also inspired me to continue using storytelling to share community experiences and resilience.”
Best of all, RIA is happy with the outcomes as well. Says RIA adviser Sophia Kamau, “I appreciate your team and StagePass for the support since the beginning of the photo-series activities: training, mentorship and the two exhibitions. The exhibition at the AUF attracted a lot of interest.”
“The journey with the youth of urban communities has been truly inspiring for the RIA project; it has opened a space for shared learning, connection and storytelling across diverse communities and cities in Africa,” says Berhanu Genzebu, digitalisation adviser for GIZ.
“Through their lenses, we are able to see the real stories of how communities live, experience and respond to disaster risks and climate change in their everyday lives. The youth from these communities are the best storytellers of these realities.”
