Send your old digital camera to Sue Johnson

My friend, the lovely and talented photographer Sue Johnson, has been working with a photography collective in South Africa for the past 3 years. I met Sue in 1987, right after she left St. Cloud Minnesota for college. She had a perm then, and looked a lot like Meg Ryan back in the When Harry Met Sally era. she doesn't look like that anymore, but she still has huge blue eyes and amazing legs. She's married, with two small children who were both born in South Africa. Sometimes she collaborates with her husband Joe on his Radio Diaries documentaries. Haven't heard Thembe's Radio Diary about living with HIV in South Africa? Go immeadiately to www.radiodiaries.org

Back to the photography collective: It's a mix of young people and long-time street photographers. They have been documenting their lives in the townships, one neighborhood at a time. Click on the link above to see their work.

Sue says the group is growing and they need more equipment. They are looking for
used:

* used point and shoot or SLR digital cameras (3.2 Megapixels and up)
* Battery chargers
* Flash Cards or Memory Cards
* laptops
* hard drives
* firewire cables and power chargers
* photography books for the library

If you have any of the above equipment lying around since you bought a newer model, consider donating it to Iliso Labantu. E-mail Sue at sue@suejaye.com, and she will arrange to get your donation to South Africa.

Iliso Labantu -- The Eye of the People

Neighbors

These women sell roasted corn-on-the-cob at the side of the road near our house. They were delighted when I took their picture (at left above), and even happier when I gave them the hardcopy that I ordered from www.snapfish.com (at right below, with picture in hand). The woman in the middle called me "a nice mzungu." Now everybody on the block wants a picture.

Found on Office Floor

Actually, right at the office doorstep. James the guard chopped it in half with a stick (note protruding innards). James doesn't know what this type of snake is called in English, but he assures me that it is dangerous.

Fabulous

This is Christine, the administrative Assistant in our office. She wears fabulous outfits like this one every day. She's going to teach me how to tie an headress. Also, how to carry things on my head. I'm practically the only person in Busia who can't carry a 10 liter bucket full of water on my head.

Homesick

Western Kenya is interesting, but I've been thinking about New York this week. I miss visiting Aoibheann and her beautiful mzungu baby in Brooklyn (pic at left taken last May), then walking to Fort Green to sleep over at Lynnie's. I miss drinking whiskey with Lola while watching the Red Sox whoop the Yankees.

This ("X marks the Spot") made me miss the NYC nightlife. I've also been yearning for a visit to Economy Candy. And of course I miss my sister-- the hostess with the mostest--and her chocolate cake.

Flood Report

Here is an interview with Elena, our head of mission, about the flooding in South Busia District.