Tag: single origin coffee

  • Before + Now: Damien

    Before + Now: Damien

    Portrait of Damien, a Burundian coffee farmer, from the series "Before + Now".

    “I have young sons who must have stolen the camera and taken pictures without me knowing.”

    Damien is a seventy-seven-year-old coffee farmer from Nkonge hill in Burundi who seems to carry his walking cane, worn leather hat and good sense of humour everywhere he goes. The last time that Damien held a copy of his photograph was when he applied for his national identity card in the early 1960s.

    He waved his cane wildly in the air a couple of times when talking about his photos, laughing at himself when he couldn’t quite make out what he had tried to capture. “I have young sons who must have stolen the camera and taken pictures without me knowing,” he told us while flicking through his stack of printed photos for the first time. Damien comes from a big but tightly-knit family. He has over thirty grandchildren, and the youngest love walking to his house to spend time with their sokuru1.

    “In our family, everyone helps with coffee. During the coffee harvest, we all pick our coffee cherries and carry them to the washing station.”

    Young Burundian children posing for a picture
    My grandchildren and neighbor’s children. They were playing together, and I asked them to raise their hands so that I could take their photo. I enjoy playing with my grandchildren. They come to my house to play. I can also ask them to help me with things if my wife is not at home, like fetching water.
    Clothes hanging up to dry outside a Burundian coffee farmer's home
    My house is on the left. These clothes were out to dry. We use tree branches to hang our clothes on.
    A Burundian family posing for a photograph
    My grandchildren are in this photo. They were playing with the neighbors’ children when they asked grandpa to take a photo, then others came who also wanted to be in the picture. I enjoy having a big family. We are close and have good relationships.
    Runner beans growing on a Burundian coffee farm
    Beans are very important in Burundi. I think all over the world they are eating beans. We eat more beans than Rwanda.
    A cow poking its head out of the window of its cow pen
    This cow belongs to my niece. It has its own room in their house. It’s really fat, which pleases me.
    A Burundian with his fists in a boxing pose while having his photo taken
    My neighbor was sitting in front of his banana trees. He took this position just for the photo.

    Footnotes

    1. Sokuru (Kirundi: grandfather)

    “Before + Now” is dedicated to bringing the voices of marginalized coffee farmers into the field of vision of everyday coffee consumers. It includes a series of photographs made by coffee farmers in Burundi, East Africa as well as a large-format portrait of each farmer. This series makes it possible not only to see life in East Africa and the coffee process, but also to connect clearly with the dreams, fears, and hopes of coffee farmers. Read more about “Before + Now” here.

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