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| Photo Source: mattieonline.com |
If
a picture is worth a thousand words, then the achievements of Sophie will leave
you spell bound (pun intended) …lol
She’s
the founder and CEO of the ‘I Am Kenyan’ Project—a picture based campaign aimed
at preaching the message of embracing our Cultural diversity and abolishing
ethnic prejudices.
Sophie
combines school work in college with her work as a social entrepreneur/activist—which
means she’s very busy. But like I always do on THE STROLL, I was able to catch
up with her in between her busy schedule to have this stroll with me… well,
here is what we discussed;
Ebenezar:
Hi Sophie, it's really an honour having
this stroll with you. Personally I've had 'near death experiences, and I know how terrifying they can be. How did you
feel when those guys tried to kill you during the ethnic dispute? And does that
experience haunt you from time to time??
Sophie:
I was more disgusted than scared. I could not understand why I was being judged
based on my skin color and not my character. Even more so I felt sorry for them
for I could clearly see that they did not fully understand why they were doing what they were doing. Regarding being traumatized, yes sometimes but it's not
that deep. There are people who have been through worse and I am grateful I am
still alive and didn't get any scratch. :)
Ebenezar:
Believe it or not, ''I Am Kenyan'' is one
of the reasons behind the successful elections in Kenya this year. How do you
feel about the success of this Project?
Sophie: Hahaha... I really
think that the whole country invested in a peaceful elections but I am humbled
and glad that the small role my team, friends, family and I played was of
benefit to the nation :)
Ebenezar: Photography,
'clicktivism', art. . . Have you always had this ''thing'' for pictures?? And
do you fancy a career in Photography or maybe art??
Sophie: I am more vane than people
think. I love taking pictures of myself so I guess that is where part of the
concept stemmed from. I am more inclined towards the arts and I love them all
and so they are a huge part of my hobby. I paint when I am frustrated, play the
guitar from time to time, I love African literature and I always have a camera
to capture my experiences. Regarding my career, I actually see myself being
more involved in the Kenyan political scene from an activism angle.
Ebenezar: I saw your presentation at TEDxTeen, it was so great. I also saw Kelvin Doe talking about his remarkable feat. Looking at the next generation (our generation) of Africans, do you think there's hope for Africa's future? Considering the fact that the AU celebrated her 50th anniversary a couple of days ago. . .
Sophie: I think that every African
generation started like ours. We all had fire burning in us and we had hopes
and dreams for our respective countries and continents. However, with time this
fire dies due to various factors. It is my dream and wish that our individual
fires do not die down. More so I pray that personally I am not strayed off my
vision :)
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| Photo Source: Sophie Umazi Photos |
Ebenezar: In a couple of months we'd
be marking Internet appreciation day on
the UN calendar. What advice do you have for youths all over world on the use
of Social Media? Do you think Social media can be a tool for positive change?
Sophie: I think anything can be used
for positive change. Social media is a global platform that can unite people
from everywhere and from different backgrounds. It is really just up to us to
figure out how to constantly unite so as to challenge the vices in our
societies.
Ebenezar: Finally, your project had
inspired ''I am Pakistani'' and ''I am
Nigerian'', that is really great if you ask me. So what next for Sophie? Would
you just focus on school work? Or you have other projects you'd love to carry
out soon . . .
Sophie: I really don't know. I mean
there is still a lot to do in terms of changing a lot of the things in the
world so I'm taking a small break to re-strategize and make long term goals
that I can attain. I began I am Kenyan blindly, but now I need to look into how
to make it into a better platform that can be more efficient in terms of
impacting the society positively.
Ebenezar:
Thank you very much for your time Sophie, I wish you success in all your future
projects :)
Sophie:
Thank you for having me :)
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Well, before I go I'd just like to leave you with this; If all the fruits were mangoes or grapes. . . will we have fruit salad? God made us all to be different for a reason--Variety is the spice of life they say--So instead of fighting people because they don't have your skin colour or eye colour, Why not learn about their culture and appreciate the thing special about them--Because there is something special about everyone.
Till my next Stroll, Jesus loves you. . .
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