OBANDA

OBANDA loosely translates as “cane cutter.”

They live and work along Kenya’s sugar belt, the engine of a rural economy that supports over six million people. From their sweat, blood, and tears have risen towns, roads, churches, and markets. Obanda wear layered garments of mixed fabrics, their ragwar, arungu, and polished opanga not just tools but marks of identity. They are known for bluntness, quick anger, and fierce pride. Rough-edged, yet unyielding, they remain our people.

This shoot is part of a project that highlights the Obanda: the cutters, the builders, the engine of the belt. When sugar stirs in your tea, it carries their story.

Shot on Porta 400, 120 film