The Forgotten Boys
Stephen Omondi Odipo, Kenya
My name is Stephen Omondi Odipo. I am from Siaya County, Kenya, and currently live in Diani, Kwale County. I am a high school teacher in the town of Dzombo, a football coach, and I have been a passionate football photographer for a year now. I graduated from university in 2017 and immediately started teaching. I mostly do football photography during my spare time, especially during the weekends when I am not teaching. I have been coaching football since I was at university in 2012. During my long holidays, I would coach the village teams.
What did you try to show with the photos? Was there any wider meaning with the photos?
In the photos are young village boys whom I inspire through football. The photos were taken at Dzombo Primary School in Kwale County. Dzombo Primary school is adjacent to the high school I teach in, Franz Josef Mamba Girls. We share a fence and the same football field. The photos were taken at one location because of COVID-19 government regulations. Curfews were imposed at the time.
Football has helped these young boys to grow mentally fit and avoid drug abuse at all cost. To some, it has helped them fight drug addiction. There is a lot of drug abuse especially along the Kenyan coast. Boys as young as 10 years old find themselves lured into drugs by young adults. They can easily access cocaine, bhang and Khat (Miraa) from drug peddlers. It's hard to fight the drug problems because the drug cartels have pocketed the police and the politicians.
What is your favourite photo?
The boy dribbling the ball is called Zablon and is just amazing. He's still in high school. He comes from a very humble background and he plays as a way of relieving stress and giving himself hope that things will get better. Sometimes he goes without a meal, especially during this corona pandemic. He's been inspired to play football by great footballers like Ronaldo. He hopes that someday he will play in the English Premier League. I can feel the synergy, the effort and the passion he puts in to dribbling.
What role does football play in Kenyan society?
Football has been important to Kenya because it is a career opportunity to some, especially the unemployed youths. To some it's an opportunity to successfully fight their addiction. Last but not least, it brings different communities together.
Football's role in Kenyan society is to foster national unity. People from different ethnic backgrounds come together and compete in competitions. Kenya is mostly aligned according to tribal or political affiliations, but football brings us together. Kenyan clubs do sign talented men and women from different tribes. They learn more about each other, they bond together and appreciate differences in their culture. When we support our national team in the African Cup of Nations, we are always united and support the team despite our differences.
What does football mean to you?
Football means a great deal to me, as I am able to inspire young men through football. I call these young men “The Forgotten Boys".
In Kenya, boys are told to be tough. Barely anyone sits down to listen to and understand their problems. When a boy is sick, his parents believes he is not. They normally think he's pretending. But when a girl is sick, she's given the right medical attention. During school a boy would be given pocket money of $5 and a girl given $40. He is told that is enough for the whole term (3 months). In certain instances, I have heard parents say that they would rather pay school fees for the girl first than the boy. They believe that the girl, when she grows older, will get married and the expenses that they used to educate her would be recovered from the dowry that will be paid.
Lately in Kenya, girls have been more inspired, and no one has time for these young boys. Before we start a game, we sit and talk about issues that affects us. We inspire one another and uplift our spirits.
What is the future for Kenyan football?
I think there is light at the end of the tunnel for Kenyan football. Lately, I have seen a number of Kenyan footballers being signed to play for great teams in the English Premier League. To me, that's inspiring. In the near future, football will be more lucrative. All we need to do in Kenya is to do away with corruption so that we can tap true talents who can perform.
