Joy

For today’s photo of the week, I’m going to show you a photo from Kenya. No surprises there. But I wanted to try to pick a picture that you haven’t seen before. No wild animals. No starving children. No sad eyes. I wanted to showcase an experience we often don’t see, or even think of when we think of “Africa”.

Joy.

Celeste’s Birthday

The students at Ombogo High School have a tradition. When it’s your birthday, they pour water on you. “Pour” doesn’t actually adequately describe it. They pump water into every bucket and bowl and dump it on you. It begins with a cup or two until they lead you to the pump…for convenience sake and quick re-filling. It’s a half hour ritual. But it’s also a celebration. Here are smart, educated young women who are full of joy and have reason to rejoice. I don’t think we see enough of this today from the portrayal of Africa in the media. I wish we lived in a world where people were just as motivated to donate and support faces of bright young women as victims of malaria and HIV. Because behind all the doom and gloom, there is joy. It’s not even hard to find.