download the book commemorating ten years of the sauti ya wakulima project:
this book contains a selection of photos and transcriptions of voice recordings made by a group of tanzanian farmers, who took part in the sauti ya wakulima project. the photos, along with their corresponding texts, represent snapshots of daily life, as captured by the farmers using smartphones, and posted also by them to an open website.
between 2011 and 2016, a group of ten smallholder farmers living near the town of bagamoyo, in the coastal region of tanzania, participated in sauti ya wakulima, by creating a collaborative, audiovisual documentation of their environment. the members of the group shared two available smartphones, and used them to take pictures and record voice messages that depicted and explained their common matters of concern. despite the often unreliable internet connection available in their area, they regularly posted their photos and voice recordings to a shared and open website.
this book is first and foremost a homage to the participants of sauti ya wakulima. by redefining the original goals of the research project, the participants highlighted the crucial role that weaving a strong social network by mutually exchanging knowledge can have in building resilience in complex and challenging times. and, through their collective documentation, the farmers also created a beautiful and valuable snapshot of their social and ecological environment, as
seen through their own eyes and narrated by their own voices.