THROUGH THE LENSE OF MOHAMMED AMIN

Mohamed "Mo" Amin

29 August 1943 - 23 November 1996
Photo by Mohamed Amin Foundation

“Mo's story is one of courage, persistence, and humanitarian commitment. He started with nothing, not even a decent education, but became something through his hard work and determination to succeed”.

Mary Robinson, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Mohamed Amin aka Mo was one of the internationally acclaimed news cameramen in the world. Born of humble beginnings in the slums of Eastleigh Nairobi, (Kenya) Mo was the second born of a total seven children to a Punjabi railway engineer. He purchased his first camera at the age of 11. It was at this stage in his life that he developed his passion for photography. He dropped out of school at the age of nineteen to pursue photography. He soon set up shop in Dar es Salaam in the early sixties opening his photo agency Camerapix.

Over the years, Mo developed his camera skills and knowledge of the journalism industry. Mo became a pioneer in reporting from dangerous zones and disaster areas, with a list of enviable contacts, crossing an invisible line in a field mostly dominated by western journalists. Mo watched history in the making in real time and informed the global community of events as they unveiled through his camera.

His reputation as a world-class camera man began with his coverage of Kenya independence celebrations in 1963 and the discovery of Soviet and East German military trainers in Zanzibar.. Mo is widely acclaimed for her coverage of Ethiopian famine in the 1980s .Throughout his career Mo succeeded in capturing high profile and exclusive events.

In 1991 following the fall of the Mengistu communist regime Mo was to loose his arm to a rocket missile whilst filming the chaotic events that followed. This loss really affected Mo nevertheless his passion for filming was unperturbed and soon he was able to obtain an prosthetic arm.

Mo received many prestigious awards in recognition of for his astounding camera work on major world stories. Having lived such a colorful life Mo was to meet a tragic end. On November 23 1996, returning home from Addis Ababa on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET961 was hijacked and the plane crashed into the Indian Ocean just off the coast of the Comoros Islands.

Mo's energy and perseverance made him one of the most successful photojournalist in the world and a man whose flame of journalistic excellence will forever be a live.

Following the tragic demise of Mo his son Salim Amin , David Johnson (U.S.A) & Christel de Wit (South Africa), set up the Mohamed Amin Foundation in 1998 a training center for young Kenyan and East African television professionals.

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