Ian Wainaina - At The Scorce

Pam Project 2026

Captured during the tenth anniversary of Nyege Nyege Festival, At the Source reflects on the landmark edition of the renowned Ugandan event. Photographed by Ian Wainaina at the heart of the legendary Kalagala Falls, this photobook captures a pivotal moment, celebrating a decade of cultural resistance, raw sonic expression, and the extraordinary happening of human connection on the banks of the Nile.

A privileged witness to the evolution of the Nyege nebula, which includes two record labels, an international booking agency, and a villa nestled in Kampala, the Ugandan capital, Ian Wainaina has earned his place as a photographic witness in this rare and extraordinary collective: “The Nyege Nyege Festival is an atypical mix of people gathered in an even more atypical location. The diversity of the audience there is truly extraordinary,” Ian admits. “The event takes place on the banks of the Nile. Dancing by an ancient river carries something sacred. Being and communing there means feeling the age of the Earth. The energy and power to capture there are colossal; as a photographer, it is a tremendous privilege and a fascinating experience.”

“New narratives, aesthetic and sonic deterritorialization... Nyege has spent a decade shaping and energizing these ideas, whether concerning appropriation, heritage, or creation,” adds the author of At the Source. A pirate utopia, visually stunning and intensely visceral, published exclusively this year by :pam magazine (formerly Pan African Music), marking the very first book in a collection dedicated to new creative horizons across the continent and beyond.