Tanzania through the lens of a young photographer

Photography has steadily evolved as a leisurely activity into a business and lifestyle for many.

Tanzania has seen this art evolve and local artists are creating masterpieces through the lens of their cameras.

One such brilliant photographer, Daniel Msirikale, has had such an amazing career and his growth, work drive and creativity has propelled him onto international platforms and won him awards, prestige and recognition in many places.

I recently had an encounter with Daniel Msirikale a photographer and digital content creator whose work has provided him with a platform through his social media presence.

His Instagram account @that_tanzanianguy has over 15,000 followers and is still growing.

Through his hashtag #camerayetu, Daniel has managed to inspire photographers and visual creators on social media platforms to do more and push their limits.

He spoke to Life & Style about who he is and what drives him in his work.

L&S: Who is Daniel Msirikale?

D: I am a Tanzanian, born and raised in Dar es Salaam. My dad is from Musoma in the lake zone of Tanzania and my mother from Ugweno in the Kilimanjaro region.

I am currently in my late twenties and I am a full time photographer.

Q: Could you describe photography from your perspective?

A: Everything is constantly changing before our eyes and moments cannot be repeated.

At least not exactly the way they have happened before.

Photography for me is a way to encapsulate and immortalize these memories, places and experiences for ourselves and future generations.

Q: Of all the types of photography; portrait, landscape, documentary, weddings and more, what is your personal favourite and would you choose to do full time?

A: My passion for photography started when I started traveling.

I mostly photographed people in their natural states, habitats and landscapes.

When I decided to do photography full time I did a little bit of everything from events, to weddings to personal shoots, to architecture photography.

This helped me realize that my passion still truly lies in documenting people and places in their natural state.

I am now a full-time travel and documentary photographer and I see myself doing this for the rest of my life.

Q: What is your ideal travel destination?

A: Mbeya has been my ideal travel destination thus far.

It feels like home every time I go back now.

There’s so much raw and untapped beauty in the southern highlands of Tanzania. I am looking forward to exploring more destinations this year.

Q: What is your favourite country so far and why?

A: It has to be a tie between the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Turkey.

I’m equally biased in favour of all three countries.

Aside from how beautiful the landscapes and historical architecture of these countries are, I fell in love with these countries because of the people I met there and spent the bulk of my time with during my university years.

Q: What have you learnt from your travels?

A: Make good and genuine relationships with the people of the area.

Sit down with them for lunch or a cup of coffee or a beer and get to know the secrets of a place that you can’t necessarily find on Google.

Q: Have you ever met any hostility when on a location?

A: Yes I have, quite a few times. The most common phrase being “unataka kunipiga picha ukaniuze”, to which at times the person was not the focus of the image.

I also experienced hostility while trying to take pictures at the railway station before we boarded our train.

Q: Do you have a favourite book?

A: I can’t pick any one book in particular so I’ll give you five of the most memorable books I have read.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, The Shadow of the Sun by Ryszard Kapuscinski, Afrotopia by Felwine Saar and the Harry Potter book series by J K Rowling. The nerd in me has re-read each one of them at least 5 times.

Q: The economic decline cause by the pandemic has seen a decline in production and tourism. What keeps you going?

A: Life has to keep on going. When adversity occurs, we must adapt and find ways to move on or else we’d be crushed.

I’d say for Tanzania we all bounced back pretty fast in the creative industry. Life kept on going and so did we.

Q: Printing is one thing but selling is another. What is your marketing strategy?

A: I only started selling prints recently, towards the end of last year actually.

My first collection of images was to support a very good friend’s cause.

When this sold out almost immediately, I did another print sale period via my Instagram account where people could select an image from my catalogue and I would print it and frame it for them.

In terms of marketing, most of it has been through my Instagram page and the rest by referrals from people who have purchased prints before.

Q: What does it mean to be a social media influencer and do you consider yourself as one?

A: In the simplest terms a social media influencer is someone who has the ability to affect decisions of others due to the reputation he or she has built for their knowledge and expertise on a subject matter.

If we’re going by this definition then, yes, I would consider myself a social media influencer.

Q: What is the biggest challenge you have experienced in your career?

A: I lost all my equipment back in February, 2019 after shooting at the Sauti za Busara festival.

When it happened I was surprisingly very calm about it but it very well could be the result of shock and disbelief.

The next day after brainstorming with a friend, a GoFundMe account was created to help me get back on my feet.

It was at that moment that the panic actually kicked in.

The fact that I lost all my equipment and the realization that my life was now in the hands of well-wishers.

To my utmost surprise within 24 hours the contributions had surpassed even the value of my initial equipment.

I was baffled, and to be honest it’s been almost two years now and yet I still am baffled by the kindness and love everyone showed me.

Some photographers even offered their equipment to me which I used as I waited for the equipment I ordered to arrive.

I will never take that for granted and that is why my camera is called Camera Yetu and so is the hashtag I use to display all the images that were made possible through kind friends and strangers alike.

Lessons from Daniel

If there is any lesson to take from Daniel, whether you are a photographer, creator or anybody in this digital world, it is that you should never settle.

Nothing in life comes easy and challenges are always lurking in the shadows.

Devotion should not just be at work but one has to devote themselves to the people as well.

Doing this interview allowed us to meet and the event in question was the What if I didn’t vote? exhibition by Gadi Ramadhani, a visual artist, art instructor and a new acquaintance for me but an old friend to Daniel.

People in the art realm speak with so much fondness between one another. This showed me how one manages to devote their life to art and photography and that one of the most important assets is the people that you surround yourself with.

Over the years, Daniel has been fortunate enough to win certain awards and recognition.

In 2019, at a competition, themed ‘Every Drop Counts’, his photo of two young boys heading home from fetching water with a third boy pumping water from a borehole saw him recieve a Ksh 300,000 cash prize oover other entrants.

He also earned global recognition for his photo that shows a stunning view of the Ol Doinyo Lengai, “Mountain of God” volcano located in the Gregory Rift, South Lake Natron within Arusha for the Wiki Loves Eath competition in 2020. This photo was number 11 in the competition, a place he was proud to be.