Ben Wilhelmi

B/W portraits, Sonjo tribe, Tanzania

For a change here are some pictures from a lesser known tribe, the Sonjo from the Sonjo valley west of lake Natron. The women are not flamboyant like the Masai women, strange as they are neighbors. The young on the other end tend to copy the Masai warriors. It seems it is not out of awe but out of fear to be spotted in the bush and killed. Pretending can save one skin. These tribes have been enemies with the Masai for centuries...like most tribes which happen to cross paths and cows with the Masai.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aerials, Tanzania

 

 

 

Street photography in Stonetown, Zanzibar

 

 

 

The billy boys.

 

 

 

 

 

Colorful fashionista!

 

Kids are kids everywhere...

 

Kids and young men love to show off on the beach front. Some are real performers, whether in diving exercises or on solid ground.

 

Wildlife, Tanzania

 

 

A different way to see wildlife...a colleague on landing.

Arusha, street photography

 

 

 

Indian ocean, aerial photography

 

 

 

 

Stonetown, random pictures

 

 

 

 

B/W film Masai portraits, Tanzania

 

 

 

All shot recently with a Rolleiflex 3.5F, a medium format beauty camera from 1961. Sometimes it feels good to show the millennials that there was life of various sorts before digital era, before selfies....

 

Floods in Tanzania these days, aerial shots

 

Katasunga plain in Katavi NP but that is a normal recurrence in the rainy seasons, except we are not really in a rainy season. The weathermen blame a dipole in the Indian ocean for the last weeks or months. At least the buffaloes are happy and safe.

 

More seriously farmers are losing their harvests and people have died, 44 in the last months, life must be hell down there.

 

Some rivers disappear.

 

 

An airstrip that nearly becomes an island could be of no use...Mbuyu airstrip, Selous reserve.

 

The biggest river in Tanzania, the Rufiji, has overflowed too, Selous.

 

 

 

Aerials over the reefs, Indian ocean, Tanzania

 

 

 

 

Does that fisherman realise the art patterns he is fishing over?

 

Quite psychedelic, isn't it?

The river across the river.

 

 

Bush portraits in Tanzania

One of my jobs in northern Tanzania allowed me to meddle in the very remote areas where foreign visitors or workers were rare, like these pictures around lake Natron or Sonjo valley many eyars ago. I gave my models, usually Maasai but along Sonjo a lesser know tribe, proper prints never money. I didn't want to spoil the game.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Street pictures in Arusha, Tanzania

 

 

Those carts are still very common, this one particularly bulky. A stripped or a huge sofa can fit too!

 

Street vendors, everywhere, borderline annoying...

Another common scenery, women carrying about everything on their head.

 

 

 

 

Helmets ....baby steps!

 

 

Heavy rains in Tanzania, aerials

 

 

 

 

The great Ruaha river here flooded.

 

This section of the great Ruaha was nearly dry a few weeks ago, near Msembe airstrip.

 

Rufiji river in the Selous, the usual sandbanks are gone.

 

 

Mdonya river near Msembe, usually dry...

 

 

Fields in Rufiji delta.

 

Rufiji river near Mtemere airstrip.

 

This southern part of the Rufiji is most often dry...

 

 

 

Street photography in Stonetown, Zanzibar

 

 

Fashion gets interesting in Stonetown...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

People in South Sudan

 

 

A civil war is raging, another timid and fragile peace agreement in the process...let's hope.

Yet in the middle of numerous atrocities and 4 million refugees of various status, life can sometimes seem normal.

 

 

Fashion is taken very seriously even in some remote places.

 

Fashion but traditional outfits are still present.

 

 

"l love Africa" Tshirt!

 

I flew beds in and was treated like a saint...I was even interviewed and was known as the Belgica man for a while. Belgica...where did the radio girl pick that is a mystery.

 

Many of those pictures would have thrown me in jail if l had been caught. Beware! A cow or a mama selling can be considered sensitive subject by any trigger happy dude or any idiot with a government ID... remember you see a lot of what look like soldiers but they are not proper soldiers, just men in uniforms who happen to fight in the bush. Conventions and rules are a strange concept.

Aerials of lake Natron, Tanzania

A stunnig salt lake in the Rift valley, northern Tanzania. It used to be said most inhospitable yet it is opening to tourism. Let's not open the debate but I feel privileged I usd to visit and overfly this place for many years when visitors were rare.

 

Because the lake is shallow, a little or big rain and a variable wind will give a new coat on a regular basis. This explains why in the 6 years l flew there a coupla times a month l never got bored!

 

 

This red pattern tends to be the most common one.

 

Ph is over 10, wildlife in the lake is limited to flamingoes but on the outskirt there is a bit of normal life, including fish and some mammals.

 

 

 

This zebra and birds are keeping their feet safe on a river delta.

 

Some days, it looks like the lake is mourning...

 

Caught in the dust.

 

 

Random pictures, Tanzania

 

 

 

 

One of my previous jobs, pilot at Flying Medical Service. Real bush flying as this airstrip implies.

 

 

Technology discrepancies...

 

Fishermen casings around Pemba islands.

 

Waving at friends... I will never forget these experiences in such balloons. Here in Ruaha NP.

 

 

Not a car from the company I fly for! we meet interesting dodgy companies out there...

 

One of the ferries between Zanzibar and the mainland.

 

Many rivers flow in Tanzania, here is the Luwego.

 

A young woman in Zanzibar.

Different cultures and religions...

A young girl in the bush.

 

Portraits in the Tanzanian bush.

 

 

 

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Stonetown, Zanzibar, street photography

 

Stonetown can be quite vibrant, sometimes too much when the hawkers and other "superglue" get in the way. "Superglue" seems to become a slightly derogatory word in East Africa that doesn't need explanations.

 

 

Not fair, as often, guys dress pretty much the way they like in the heat...

 

As said before black clad clothes are meeting colorful rivals.

 

 

 

A mainland tourist?

 

 

There is always a bunch of active youngsters showing off at Forodhani garden. They have sadly just lost a great diving spot for the benefit of more tourist junk sellers. There are already a zillion around who are misguided into thinking tourists come to Zanzibar to buy their goodies....shame on the authorities for spoiling these guys' playground and a great vista too.

 

 

Tanzania, people in the bush, B/W analog pictures.

These pictures come from my archives, around 2000, northern Tanzania, but I still use a few analog cameras nowadays.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Birds in Tanzania, feeding d'Arnaud's barbet.

 

 

When one spends so many days in various camps or lodges one might as well develop a liking for birds. 1388 species in east Africa, 900 in Tanzania...birding activity can keep someone busy.

With the rains there has been a renewed activity, for instance in our Ruaha River Lodge, Ruaha national park. One of those many days meandering between the hills, nose up, binoculars and big lens handy, I spotted this d'Arnaud's barbet. I had initially thought he would eat its "olive" on the spot but no, it landed next to a narrow deep hole and climbed it down.

 

It reappeared quickly, see the tail over the hole, flew off and soon after it was back... this time with a big praying mantis in its beak. Quite a feat.

 

...this time with a big praying mantis in its beak. Quite a feat.

Back to that hole, again it climbed it down instead of dropping the prize.

 

 

Eyeing me briefly, I was standing in the shade of a tree.

 

 

Sadly I missed the take off picture... Quite a bright colorful bird nevertheless

B/W portraits, Tanzanian bush

 

 

Young Masai mother and a traditional cheek scar. She will keep her hair uncut till the baby has officially been named during a proper ceremony.

 

This woman wanted to wait to wait while getting prepped up for the pictures.

 

Sonjo woman using an umbrella to protect from the scorching sun in the Rift valley.

 

 

Some masai women in full regalia.

 

(Picture shot at 12am in natural light but with a +3 stop correction while the model stood under the aircraft wing)

 

 

 

Fishing activity near Bagamoyo, Indian ocean

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

B/W portraits in the bush, Tanzania

 

Good ol' B/W pictures on films from the archives...I still happily use my analog cameras. Mainly 2 here, others in Belgium. Here shot around 2000 in northern Tanzania, an area pretty remote by then.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Street photography, Arusha, Tanzania

 

 

 

 

 

 

Funny? There could be a passenger sitting on that bag...

 

Amazon style for this pretty girl, a common way to sit on a motorbike taxi.

 

 

 

Streets are busy with little businesses.

 

Gossipers like everywhere.

Street photography, Stonetown, Zanzibar

 

As said before fashion has become really interesting over the years.

Western goodies and style creep in slowly for some...

or full blast for others.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aerial photography over the Indian ocean, Tanzania

 

lots of mangroves are to be found around. In combination with the tides the landscape can differ wildly in the same day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aerial photography of wildlife, Tanzania

 

In this era of drones let me precise that I take these aerials while flying the plane myself. The challenge is quite different.

All the animals below come from the Selous reserve in southern Tanzania along the Luhego (Luwegu) river and the Rufiji river. There are many airstrips in that huge reserve which we have good reasons to fly low and slow, that is while taking off and landing.

Hippos gathering and a fish eagle on take

 

2 ground hornbills (bucorves en français) land near a fish eagle at lunch

 

Egyptian geese.

 

 

Saddle-billed storks (jabiru d'Afrique)

 

Egyptian geese, a few yellow-billed storks and hippos.

 

 

Waterbucks (cobes)

 

Buffaloes.

 

Wildebeests (gnous)

Street photography, Tanzania

 

Fashion varies wildly nowadays, things have changed a lot in 20 years, to the chagrin of some old farts....

Same t-shirts, those girls must have been hired for some event.

 

 

Things that are much slower to change, the attitude to safety on the road...notice the helmet protecting the balls. Sense of priority I guess.

 

Helmets seem to be on the rise but baby steps.

 

 

 

Aeriel view of lions, Tanzania

Somewhere in the southern Selous lies a bush airstrip, Luhanyando 2. Yes there is a Luhanyando 1 across the Luhego river. The location is really stunning, the wide river has crossed some rocky hills and is now running through sandy terrain. Just after take off the stunning vista creates an urge to fly for a few minutes a bit lower than usual for sightseeing and spotting animals. We are bush pilots, well some of us...

Animals we regularly spot are birds of various sizes and the usual mammals, like elephants, gazelles, buffalos, hippos, giraffes, zebras... but felines? About never1 They blend too well and are less numerous. So how did I spot these camouflaged lions on a sand bank, I have no idea. Mind you the aeroplane cruises at about 300km/h.  But I did and that made me happy for the day.

 

The male was unfazed but the female was, surprise, curious.

Scenes in the Masai bush, Tanzania

 

 

Fashion changes slowly even in the remote northern territories of Tanzania. This blue pattern is definitely not included in the traditional Masai clothing.

 

A non-perenial pond becomes the holy place while it lasts.

 

Cows are the main thing regarding status, show off and wealth. But goats are welcome as side dishes.

Donkeys are useful too but not much in term of status.

 

 

Things change...

 

 

Things change!!  "Tout fout le camp" as we say in French...

 

Street photography in Stonetown, Zanzibar

 

 

 

 

Men are at an advantage to drop their traditional outfits quicker than women. Not fair. Nothing new ...

 

 

Forodhani garden...the food place. Sadly the souvenirs sellers have creeped in, not only selling their usual goodies, same as in Stonetown 200m away, but they are blocking the ocean view, a whole corner! They seem to think people travel here from all over the globe to fall in tourist trap shops?

 

The main beach is safe. For now...

 

 

 

No shop but these touts and hawkers...some are like glue. This old man sat there uninvited for 30 min. These girls were too sweet and didn't want to hurt his feelings...

 

 

As said before, men are men everywhere.

 

Aerial photography and wildlife, Tanzania

 

 

Can you spot the crocodile?

 

A hippo, a bird or 2 and another crocodile.

Zebras and elephants

 

Water playing with animal tracks.

More zebras.

Hard to distinguish, the camouflage is quite good. A zebra?

2 crocs.

Street photography, Dodoma, Tanzania

Some more pictures from Dodoma streets, though they could have been taken in many other places in the country. 

School uniforms is still the norm in East Africa.

This type of tricycle is also standard, it allows the beneficiary more autonomy on top of a luggage rack.

 

 

A famous paint brand has decorated many streets in the country. Sadly the colors, especially red turning pink, fades quickly under the intense African sun. Not a good advertisement...

 

Elegant cyclist.

 

And girls are resisting fashion either.

 

Luckily the city center is flat. The hills are far away.

 

 

Should I call Louis Vuitton hot line? A few $ will get you one of those bags. Funny enough this is not for the poor white client market, but rather for African clients but I have noticed many people don't always know about Gucci or Vuitton. Just a fancy design and voilà. They are shocked to hear the costs of the authentic items.

 

This kind of shiny material has recently (?) appeared on Muslim men of any age.

 

Those little motorbikes have been an instant hit when they appeared over 10 years ago. Number of casualties followed suit quickly.

Churches are nearly as numerous, sadly.

Uganda, street photography

 

 

 

 

Sugar cane juice with a drop of lemon on ice is one of my favorite juices out here in East Africa. But it comes out yellowish like lime juice. Maybe that red is just another concoction. I have to ask my fixer.

 

In a school I visited. Interesting choice of toy. Kids love to run behind a wheel or a metal ring, albeit usually smaller, and direct it with a stick. Cardio and coordination. Better than slouching on the coach for sure.

 

 

The businesswoman at work.

 

 

Usually bus stops are...chaotic, colorful, noisy and packed with goodies on stalls or on somebody's head or shoulders. And thus those scenes are very photogenic

In Uganda but on the way to Kenya, an unusual bus stop in stark comparison. One main color and hardly no more? Quite impressive.

 

 

Colors in Africa!

 

 

Dodoma, Tanzania, street photography

 

Dodoma has been the Tanzanian capital since the 70's, a little know fact. This government is busy relocating its services there from Dar es Salaam, which was the economic capital and where things happened for ever. I wonder if the various embassies and consulates and other big companies are going to follow suit. So far Dodoma is just a sleepy town, very sleepy. No one here in the company is looking to overnight there for sure. So l don't forget my books and a camera or 2 when l happen to be the unlucky guy.

 

 

 

 

Fashion here too can very wildly...sadly those furry sandals have arrived in Africa too. Call me fashion dinosaur but WTF?

 

 

 

This guy is one the dozen photographers hanging around at a central park. They take pictures of people in the hope of selling some prints or the files.

 

And men are men...

 

 

This style is a quite unusual to say the least...

 

 

 

Aerial photography, Tanzania

Tanzania is such a big country gifted with many beautiful landscapes. Not only that, those landscapes vary tremendously come the rain seasons.

 

Salt lakes are perfect examples of ever changing colors and patterns. Here is a detail of lake Eyasi.

I guess pelicans visiting Tanzania.

 

The Ruaha river after the rain season.

 

The famous wildebeest migration near the Mara river, here on the Serengeti side.

 

Lake Natron, another salt lake.

 

The Rufiji river in the Selous reserve.

 

Lake Natron again.

 

A typical homestead like millions in the country.

 

Tarangire national park. Quite famous for its elephants.

 

Lake balangida, a lesser known salt lake. Those white dots are salt extraction activities. I would guess operated by local people only.

Street photography, Stonetown, Zanzibar

 

 

Things change in Zanzibar...in 20 years the fashion got a boost from our western "decadent" influence. The ninja type is slowly receding and some pretty fashionistas show up nowadays.

The black color has receded too.

"Nutella", "Zanzibar pizza"...a common recurrence in Forodhani garden. The young woman here is relishing a fresh sugarcane juice, a divine beverage with a drop of lemon and ginger, ice cubes. Not for the weak stomachs I guess. When I said fresh, it means it prepared in front of you but …

 

OK OK she is probably a tourist boarding in Zanzibar. But she deserves applauses: an elegant tourist is such a rare occurrence.

 

Black cloak but a touch of colors and some extra details...baby steps.

A wandering Masai far from his beloved bush.

 

yeah...things change in Zanzibar, right? Not men obviously. The same everywhere.

More examples of colorful outfits. I wonder if these girls would enjoy sunbathing too...

Aerial photography, seaside, Tanzania

 

 

Workers on salt extraction fields. The glare must be painful to the yes...

Village on a tiny island next to Bwejuu island, Mafia channel.

And the reef of unnamed island.

 

Reef, Mafia island.

Fishermen at low tide.

 

A lone couple a few miles from the nearest village which is very remote.

Aerial pictures, Indian ocean, Tanzania

 

 

Between Dar es Salaam and Mafia island, a flight lasts about 30 minutes. My favorite time to fly on this route is at low tide, a general rule over the ocean I guess.

 

Today let's focus on the stunning mangrove south of mafia airfield.

Mother Nature must have laughing at Picasso. Except he whitish tone, which is sand, the other tones show the bottom of the ocean at low tide. At high tide, only a typical ocean blue will show.

 

 

Tanzania is a dream place for any aerial photographer, amateur or pro. Personally new areas or details still appear under my wings. Sometimes the weather makes a difference on a old classic landscape. Human activity is another factor that is worth a low pass...