Cameras of Kilimanjaro - Book Review

Cameras of Kilimanjaro is a 104 page hard back book containing a collection of photos taken by the porters and guides who work on Kilimanjaro. The fact that the photos have been taken by the people who earn a living on the mountain makes this book very different from other publications. Photographs of Kilimanjaro usually depict a tourist triumphantly standing on the top of Africa or some beautiful scene looking out over the cloud base to the Indian Ocean, but this book is a lot more personal and gives a great photographic insight into the lives of those who work on the mountain.

The idea for the project and the designer of the book was Scottish photographer Helen Osler. After climbing Kilimanjaro in 2008 she wanted to give something back to the people who had assisted her to the summit. She realized that many of the porters and guides involved in her expedition lived in near poverty both on and off the mountain and she wanted to try and help make a difference to their lives.

The porters and guides had been fascinated in her camera equipment and from this she came up with the idea of distributing disposable cameras to the porters of Kilimanjaro. The project started to grow and expedition company Lava Expeditions became involved by distributing digital cameras among their Kilimanjaro mountain staff.

Within a year Helen had collected over 1000 digital and 35mm images. From this bank of images she picked a selection that she believed told the story of those who work on Kilimanjaro. “Cameras of Kilimanjaro” was born and the book is a lasting testament to the day to day lives of the porters and guides of Kilimanjaro.

All profits from the book are being donated to the Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project (KPAP), a Tanzanian based charity set up to assist the porters of Kilimanjaro. KPAP has been responsible for setting a minimum wage for porters on Kilimanjaro, they also run clothing banks so porters can obtain high altitude clothing for free. KPAP are always there to assist the porters of Kilimanjaro and the profits from Cameras of Kilimanjaro will help make a difference in the lives of those who work on the mountain.

Cameras of Kilimanjaro are available from www.porterphotoproject.com and if you wish to find out more about the work KPAP do they can be found at kiliporters.org.