World Press Photo Exhibition returns to Nairobi

The World Press Photo Exhibition is back in Kenya, capital showcasing some of best images from around the world for free at public spaces.

The 14-day travelling exhibition, brought to Nairobi with the support of Embassy of Netherlands, PAWA254 and the Hilton Hotel, was officially opened by Netherlands Ambassador to Kenya. Frans Makken.

“This exhibition is an expression of what many are going through throughout the word,” Mr Makken said.

“It will go along in encouraging Kenyan journalists to be participating in such competitions and share Kenyan stories with the world.”

Njeri Mwangi of PAWA254 has encouraged local journalists to take advantage of the network they have created and share their stories with the world.

“Very few Kenyan photojournalists participate in such competitions. That is why we thought of bringing the exhibition to Nairobi to sensitise Kenyan journalists on such global competitions and above all give them an opportunity to share their stories,” she said.

This is the third time the exhibition has been brought to Nairobi and the second time it has been curated as a street exhibition.

“There is so much talent in Kenya and should they participate in such, there are many chances of Kenyans winning.”

World Press Photo Contest is the world’s leading competition for professional press photographers, photojournalists and documentary photographers.

The 2017 contest drew entries from around the world— 5,034 photographers from 125 countries submitted 80,408 images.

The jury of the 60th annual contest selected an image by Turkish photographer Burhan Ozbilici as the World Press Photo of the Year.

Ozbilici’s picture— which also won first prize in the Spot News Stories category— shows how Mevlüt Mert Altıntaş, a 22-year-old off-duty police officer assassinated Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov at an art exhibition in Ankara, Turkey, on December 19, 2016.