Barak Bruerd

Like Obama

Posted on February 28, 2009 by Barak in Africa | No Comments

I’m famous now.  I don’t even bother to avoid the inevitable. I just introduce myself as “Barak… like Obama” and make cheesy jokes about being his white brother.  Doesn’t matter – people love it and I make instant friends.  These women were absolutely priceless – from Obama’s nearby village and all three living out incredible stories as they battle AIDS in their community and in themselves.  Stepping into their homes (behind me in the photo) I could only sit in awe of what they struggle with daily, and yet their hope is self-evident.  If only I could bottle it and bring it home with me.  We need it here desperately.

AIDS Kills

Posted on February 27, 2009 by Barak in Africa | No Comments

This was a sign nailed to a tree at the entrance of a school nestled between three slums in Nakuru Kenya.  AIDS in Kenya is at an all time high of 8% and rates are typically higher than this in urban areas, especially where poverty has a stronghold on the population.  In stark contrast to the sobering message, this school and the others that I visited where bubbling with excited children.  I pray their future is as vibrant as their laughter.

School Yard

Posted on February 27, 2009 by Barak in Africa | No Comments

Lutito

Posted on February 24, 2009 by Barak in Asia | No Comments

Not quite sure if we want to extract anything metaphorical from this photo… deserts, parched earth, wasteland, etc are never imagery you generally pair up with relationships, marriage, etc.  But we were eating lunch on this salt-flat in Marsabit and I shot this wide-angle of Kellie and Jeremy.  Pretty sweet if I do say so myself.

Nomadic Pastoralist, Marsabit

Posted on February 24, 2009 by Barak in Africa | 1 Comment

Oasis in Marsabit

Posted on February 24, 2009 by Barak in Africa | No Comments

Its hard to describe what it’s like to stand in a wasteland, surrounded on all sides by scorched earth as far as the eye can see.  Even more so, its hard to describe what water means to a place like this.  Camels numbering in the thousands surround this place and men wade knee deep in the green water lifting bucket after bucket to the watering trough.  It is a place that is at once both treacherous and beautiful.

Relic

Posted on February 23, 2009 by Barak in Africa | No Comments

Stumbling across an antique Ford tractor would be fairly blasé in Tennessee.  But in northern Kenya it’s rather novel.  And apparently functional as well…

Jijue One Million

Posted on February 22, 2009 by Barak in Africa | No Comments

One of several concerts Jars of Clay gave in Nairobi along with other amazing local artists performed as part of the Jijue One Million Campaign – a campaign whose goal is to see 1 million Kenyans tested.  Jijue is swahili and is a slang term that embodies the idea of confidence through self-knowledge.  In a country where 1 out of 12 are HIV positive and only 3 in 5 know their status, this self knowledge is critical in halting infection rates in Kenya.  The week Jars performed in Nairobi, nearly 4,000 people were tested.  An amazing start to the campaign.

Nairobi Baptist Church

Posted on February 22, 2009 by Barak in Africa | No Comments

For Jijue One Million, Jars of Clay sang at Nairobi Baptist Church which is a giant circus-looking tent erected in a large field.  It was a fantastic place filled with photographic opportunities.   Amusingly enough, my photo-taking caused a certain amount of consternation among some of the church administrators who couldn’t understand why I was photographing the “architecture” – I wasn’t sure if they were worried that I was from the Ministry of Planning making sure they met building codes or if I was a terrorist looking for a way to sabotage their gathering.   Regardless I spent a good 5 minutes trying to prove that I was with the famous “Jars of Clay” band and was merely photographing the event.

Retro Drummer

Posted on February 22, 2009 by Barak in Africa | No Comments

Jeremy Lutito, drummer extraordinaire.  Taken near the top of one of the high rises in Nairobi.  You know there’s a holiday coffee named after Jeremy at La Crema in Nashville?