Paint, cement, photographs: on the endurance of imagery in Western Kenya

ABSTRACT

In rural areas of Western Kenya, the making, decorating, and presentation of the outside of the home is central to local systems of sociality and etiquette. These homes are usually built on ancestral land and maintained by family members, who often work in Nairobi, stay in rented accommodations, and regularly return for weekends and holidays to maintain their properties. This article focuses on recent changes in the appearance of homes related to decorative techniques utilising paint, cement and photographic images. Overall, stylistic changes in homemaking reflect a merger of building materials and techniques associated with domestic and village life with decorative practices developed in urban work places during the transition from colonialism to independence. Commentary on changes in the material and aesthetic practices of homemaking record critical reflections on the sensory experience of postcolonialism.

Keywords:

• aesthetics
• cement
• homemaking
• Kenya
• paint
• photography
• postcolonialsm