‘This is PA-MOJA’ was produced by students in the 2021 Butterfly Effect class: Clare Won, Asalah Youssef, Yena Oh, Mariana Cardenas. Vienna Lara-Fare, Simone Poirier, Vienna Wise, Myah Lothian, Sally Sapinski, Vanessa Waugh, Ava Siefke, and Katelynn Agnew, with the guidance of teacher, Donna Usher. Many students continued to work on the series after they graduated. What a dedicated team!
This collection of portraits and stories are of people from Kenya, Canada, and the U.S.A. who are connected through PA-MOJA. The purpose of this series is to communicate and promote PA-MOJA and the interconnections between those involved.
You may have noticed that many of the images are pixelated. Since the pandemic kept people physically apart, each portrait and interview was captured on-line. Although we would have loved to have traveled to Kenya to photograph and interview the people and wildlife there, instead, we documented via Zoom from the comfort of our homes. The Butterfly Effect student team who worked on ‘This is PA-MOJA’ are from various communities neighbouring Langley Fine Arts School, in Fort Langley, British Columbia, Canada.
We endeavoured to schedule the portraits during daylight hours for the best natural light. There is an 11 hour time difference between the Pacific Coast of Canada to Kenya. So there were many late night sessions in Canada to connect with Kenya early in the morning. The students chatted with the participant, asked questions, and then one or two students coached each individual through the portrait session where they directed the participant to position the camera and then together captured the expressions and poses. It was a collaborative process. The most amazing session was with Najin & Fatu, the last two Northern White rhinos and their keepers. The students were in awe as they watched and listened as the rhinos ate their breakfast at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy.
Thank you to all who participated in the virtual series in taking the time to share your stories and to help photograph yourself. Also, thank you to Amber Illes, Alison Stuart, and Ian Muriuri for many hours of editing. And finally thank you to Werner Knittel and Mostad Printing for your sponsorship, and to Tom Kerr from Prism Graphics for your humour and patience.
The series will travel to schools in Canada to share PA-MOJA with the education community, and also the exhibit will be featured at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. We hope this series will inspire others to get involved, ask questions, donate, and make connections to make a positive difference in the world. Thank you for taking the time to read the stories, connect, and learn about PA-MOJA.
