Celebrating African Culture with Osborne Macharia

A Note From Osborne Macharia —

Black History Month is rooted in African American history. As an African living in the diaspora, I approach it with respect — as a moment to honor the struggles and contributions of African Americans, while reflecting on how our shared origins and different journeys shape the broader Black story.

I engage it as an African storyteller expanding representation, as someone building alternate Black universes, and as a cultural participant in the larger Black imagination — contributing to a narrative that stretches across borders, histories, and futures. Here are a couple of projects that have resonated with me over the years as a celebration of a unique culture.

Afro Juba

Afro Juba is a hair project inspired by the games that shaped our childhood — long before video games and touch screens replaced open fields and imagination.

Rooted in memory, the series revisits those playful rituals that defined freedom, friendship, and invention. The image shown with the woman wearing goggles draws from the spirit of “skinny dipping”.

Tribe Called Gold

This original photo series, created in collaboration with Redemption Rum (South Africa), honours five African subcultures that have influenced a new generation of creatives across the continent. Each carries its own history and visual language. Gold — Redemption Rum’s primary colour — becomes the thread that connects them. Together, they form A Tribe Called Gold.

Magadi

This is the story of a collective of former female circumcisers living in the vast, salt-laden plains of Lake Magadi.

Having abandoned the practice, they chose a different path — transforming their skills and influence into an alternative livelihood rooted in ethnic fashion. What began as reinvention became resistance.

Today, they shelter young girls escaping early marriage, offering refuge and mentorship. Within their collective, the girls are trained in styling, fashion design, textile print work, and modeling — preparing them for both local and international runways. In a landscape once defined by tradition, they are redesigning the future.

Little is known about them till now…..

K.D.F

This is the story of four HIV/AIDS-orphaned boys who operate behind the name Kawangware Defence Force.

Schoolboys by day and neighbourhood watch by night, they disguise themselves as members of their school’s home-science club. Beneath that cover, they have engineered their own all-in-one surveillance and communication head units — built from discarded boda boda helmets and salvaged electronic parts — capable of transmitting untraceable calls to the local police.

On school nights, they take turns patrolling dimly lit streets, quietly monitoring their community and alerting authorities to imminent danger. Their real identities remain unknown.

Little is known about them till now…..

Mengo’ - Nairobi's Underground Fight Club

Rumour has it that beneath Nairobi’s downtown city centre operates a highly organized, multi-million-dollar underground fight club — its fighters, all people of short stature.

A rare breed of disciplined competitors, they are said to have undergone years of rigorous training, beginning as early as five years old. Precision, endurance, and strategy define their craft.

Backed by an elite circle of wealthy sponsors and managers, they compete in similar clandestine arenas across the globe — returning home with titles to their names and silence intact.

Little is known about them till now….

View Osborne's portfolio here.