“Stranger in Familiar Land” is a series by Sarah Waiswa that looks at the persecution of albinos in Sub-Saharan Africa. In Tanzania, for example, they are hunted for their body parts, which are believed to possess magical powers. The project groups together various portraits of an albino woman set against the backdrop of the Kibera slums, which are a metaphor for Sarah Waiswa’s turbulent vision of the outside world. The series illustrates the life of an albino who is forced to face challenges emanating from both the sun and society. The series also explores how the sense of non-belonging has led her to wander and exist in a dreamlike state.
Sarah Waiwa is a Ugandan born Kenya based documentary and portrait photographer with an interest in exploring identity on the African continent, particularly the New African Identity. After getting both her sociology and psychology degrees and working in a corporate position for a number of years, she decided to pursue photography, creating visual poetry and telling stories in the most organic and creative way possible. Her website and Instagram page her full of her wondrous explorations.
