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Portraits of Samburu women in northern Kenya, adorned with their beads.
These portraits of Samburu women were made in February 2022 in northern Kenya. Adorned with their beads, they sometimes live in villages created by women, where men are not allowed to live.
The first village was founded in the 1990s by women who had been driven out of their homes. They had been raped and, for that reason, were accused of dishonouring their household. Since then, many villages run only by women have appeared nearby.
Samburu society is deeply patriarchal. Traditionally, girls are married very young to men over thirty, who have finished their role as warriors protecting the village. Women look after the livestock, build the house and cook. The women we met spoke of violence from their husbands.
These villages are close to the town of Archer’s Post. In cases of violence, forced marriage or excision, women can therefore turn directly to the police. This weakens the authority of the elders, an all-male council that holds customary power.
The birth of these villages thus changes the traditions that structure the social order. The portraits in this series show proud Samburu women, with their headdresses and colourful bead necklaces, facing the setting sun or standing in the shade.
This series is one of the stories made in Kenya in February 2022, together with those from Turkana. It focuses on portraits, to give a face to Samburu women. The images are deliberately simple: evening light, the savannah and the bead ornaments are enough to tell of their presence.
This story is part of Alexander Bee’s documentary photography portfolio. You can also discover Turkana: water, land and labour or Ladakh: the pashmina herders. To buy a print or use a photo, contact me. To learn more: The Samburu people on Wikipedia.
Photos © Alexander Bee – all rights reserved. Prints and licensing: contact me.
