Just Boys

After spending several days in Konombe, a suburban area in Kigali, Jen and I moved out to the village in Umutara. Soon after I passed the girl carrying sticks, this group of young boys appeared in the distance. They chased a thin bicycle tire with a stick along the path, chattering and tugging on each other with excitement. I wondered how they might react when they got close to me. "Bite," I said breathlessly as they began to slow and creep in close to me. ("Bite" is pronounced "bee-tay", meaning "hi, how are you?" in Kinyarwanda) Within an instant, they were enamored with my camera, making goofy faces in my big wide angle lens and laughing at the images and video sequences I captured and played back for them. Such sweetness. Pure innocence. Just boys being boys.

Comments

[Tara Bradford]

Isn't it true that children are the same all over the world? When I first went to a Palestinian refugee camp, the children were swarming around me, pulling at my sweater, trying to get my attention; practicing their English, shouting "Hello! How are you?" and grinning into my camera lens. The innocence of childhood is often lost too early in that part of the world - with all its trouble and strife and so many refugees - so it's a wonderful thing to see these boys' smiling faces.

[camerashymomma]

i look foward to these images and words each day. it's like a wonderful present to open each time i see a new post.

[Vera]

having a digital camera is the best way to get any kid to warm up to you, isn't it? most are amused to see themselves captured in there. These boys are no different, in that sense :)