Tobin Jones: Healers of Kibera

Photo © Tobin Jones-All Rights Reserved

Here is a powerful photo essay by Tobin Jones on the healers of Kibera. Kibera is a slum of the Kenyan capital, and is home to over one million people but a handful of clinics, most of which are run by charities. Religious healers associated to the Christian church claim to be healers and offer their services to solve problems from relationships to sickness to exorcising demons. While 80% of Kenya’s population is Christian, traditional beliefs and customs influence most of Kibera’s African churches, forming a quasi-Christian religion quite different from Western forms of Christianity.

The photo essay appears on the BBC News website, and I suggest you view it there as the images are larger than on Tobin's website.

"Kibera residents go to healers for a wide range of reasons that include family disputes, theft, unemployment and curses, as well as possession by the devil."

Tobin Jones is a photographer of English and American descent, and he lived much of his life on the African continent, where he was born and grew up. He graduated from McGill University, with a major in International Development, as well as minors in Economics and Political Science.