MACIKA

 Water | Blessing and Curse

Macika means the start of the rainy season in Swahili. It is longed for by everyone, for many months in countries where rain and water are rare. Water is arguably the most important commodity on Earth. As important as crops, metals and energy are to the planet, none of them matter without water. As climate changes, so does the amount of rainfall in certain areas. Some areas encounter flooding for the first time, while others suffer endless droughts. In Germany a land spared by these extremes, recentley nearly 250 people died during a catastrophic flood in the Eifel. While water and rain are necessary for the crops and the nature to survive, the massive rainfalls and storms often lead to devastation and floods, because the sudden amounts of water can’t be absorbed by the earth. 

My project started in Africa in 2021 during the rainy season in Kenya. When the sky opened, unimaginable amounts of water were released in seconds, bending trees, shooting out from pouring spouts and forming streams, relentless and without any consideration. The water resembled curtains, tight layers, impenetrable and dangerous. When it calmed down the drops glared in the bright sunlight, breaking through gaps in the ominous clouds. My images show nature and landscapes during these heavy rains and storms, the feeling of power and peace, the moments from beginning to the end of the rainfalls, conveying the passive interaction between nature and water.

My fascination with rain and water started when I was a little child, standing at the window of our apartment, watching the water drawing lines on the clay bricks of our steep roof. Often they transformed in several streams overflowing the gutter into our garden. When the rain finally stopped I could see the light breaking in the rain drops, resembling sparkles in the tree standing in front of the small window.