Filippo Romano's 'Nomadic Sellers' is a photo series that captures the wandering salesmen of Kenya who move from place to place selling wares. Most of the photos focus on the peddlers of Mathare, a slum packed with 600,000 people in a space of three square miles. Most of the sellers depicted in the photo series took to their jobs out of necessity and a spirit of entrepreneurship driven by poverty.
The peddlers go door-to-door selling products including toys, shoes, CDs and even bras. These products vary wildly in the amount of profit they offer to the sellers.
Through 'Nomadic Sellers,' Filippo Romano aims to delve into the seemingly innate consumerism and material desires of even some of the world's most impoverished people. These photos hint that the desire for material possessions -- whether necessary or frivolous -- is a universal trait.
Kenyan Peddler Photography
Filippo Romano's Photos Capture Kenyan Street Peddlers and Their Wares
Trend Themes
1. Street Peddler Culture - Opportunities for development of platforms that celebrate unconventional ways of trade like those of street peddlers.
2. Materialism in Impoverished Communities - Space for cataloging and exploring sources of happiness and satisfaction amongst the poor amidst their desire for material possessions.
3. Entrepreneurship Amidst Poverty - Opportunity to identify, help and empower destitute people to start businesses and bring steadier incomes to their households.
Industry Implications
1. E-commerce - E-commerce websites can provide more visibility for street-sellers by offering online marketplaces to peddle their wares.
2. Social Entrepreneurship - Socially conscious startups can explore developing platforms to aggregate and showcase the skills and products of underprivileged entrepreneurs like street peddlers.
3. Art and Documentary Film-making - Artists and documentarians can identify stories documenting the entrepreneurial successes of impoverished communities and work to increase their visibility amongst wider audiences.