Diary of a man, a camera and a camel

Since 2008, photography has been one of Qi's biggest passions. To pursue photography and map his future in New York, he attended master classes.

Since 2016, Qi has spent one to two months each year away from home on his documentary photographic series, exploring themes such as the experiences of overseas Chinese people and children's lives in Nairobi's slums.

He chooses destinations that are often the toughest, photographing Chinese workers installing power lines in Sudan, Chinese fishermen in Angola, and Chinese factory workers in Ethiopia, among others.

"Throughout this process, my understanding of photography, especially documentary photography, has evolved. Each year, this work supports me and makes my year worthwhile," he says.

However, in 2020, the retina in his right eye began to detach from the underlying supportive tissue. If not treated promptly, this condition would lead to vision loss. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, proper treatment was delayed until 2023, by which time his eyesight had deteriorated to an irrevocable 0.3.

In 2021, he unexpectedly spent several months in Haiti, where he witnessed extreme street violence that was largely unreported outside the country. "From there, I lost all confidence in humanity," he recalls, explaining the motivation behind the journey chronicled in The Camel Diaries.

His depression worsened by the news of a good friend killed in an air crash. When he returned to Kenya in 2021, his perspective on the world had changed significantly.

"After Haiti, everything I saw felt like it was through a filter. I didn't experience things directly anymore. It was a protective mechanism. If I opened myself up, I would get hurt, and my emotions were overwhelming. Because of this, I developed an aversion to photography. I felt physically nauseous, like I wanted to vomit, which is something I never experienced before," he says.

"Photography used to be my remedy, but then it had turned into my poison," he says.

Having a special fondness for deserts, he had long aspired to lead a camel to retrace the ancient "Camel Rock Trail", the Timbuktu-Taoudenni caravan route in Mali, a key western route for the trans-Saharan gold and salt trade. However, Mali was too dangerous to travel in.

Then a friend, half-jokingly, suggested going to the deserts in northern Kenya on a camel if he really wanted such travel.

In the deserts of northern Kenya is Lake Turkana, a particularly fascinating place for him.

Situated in the Great Rift Valley in northwestern Kenya and extending into Ethiopia, Lake Turkana is the world's largest permanent desert lake and the largest alkaline lake. In 1984, a well-preserved skeleton of a Homo erectus youth who lived approximately 1.6 million years ago was discovered here. The fossil provides critical insights into the physical development and anatomy of early humans.

When these three elements — deserts, Turkana and a camel — came together, the journey became irresistible.

Previously, he had visited the lake twice: once by car and once by flying partway and then driving. This time, he traveled on foot, accompanied by a resilient camel and Martin, a member of the Samburu nomadic group from northern Kenya, who depend on camels for their livelihood.

"I didn't have a concrete plan. I just wanted to head out, without a clear idea of how far I'd go or which direction to take. Simply setting foot on the road is enough for me. I prefer to know as little as possible about what comes next," he says. "There are some things you mustn't tell me; no spoilers."

Despite challenges along the way, there were two or three moments when Qi suddenly felt connected to the whole of nature, becoming one with it.

"Each time was only for a short while, but I genuinely felt connected. You can hear the wind, feel the sunlight on your skin, and even smell the distant rain. Your senses not only open up but also feel interconnected in that moment," he says, talking about the best part of the journey.

It's not the beautiful scenery, but the feeling that is similar to meditation, he adds.

He remembers that during the journey, the scenery was the same as others', but suddenly the colors seemed more vibrant and full of infinite details. The whole world came alive.

"It comes unexpectedly; you might be bored, and then suddenly, you enter that state for a short while before coming out of it, realizing that the world is truly real. It's quite an important experience to me," he notes.

"With my background in science and engineering, I understand that many concepts, like truth, freedom, language, and reality, have limitations. But when I truly experience being a whole person in that environment, it transcends language," he says.

Qi resumed photography during the journey; after completing it, continued his previous lifestyle. Later, he was featured in Liu Na's Narrating the World: 12 Chinese Men and Women Tell Their Stories, published by the Commercial Press in 2024 and about the overseas Chinese. His diaries sparked editors' interest in publishing a book. This year, The Camel Diaries came out.

Cheng Ying, a tenured associate professor at Peking University's Department of Asian-African Languages and Literatures, highlights the book's groundbreaking nature in the context of African historical narratives. Qi's journey takes him through areas seldom visited by either Chinese or local Africans, plunging him into untouched wilderness.

Traditionally, Africa and its people have been observed and defined by outsiders, but the author's writing presents a more reciprocal relationship with the locals and environment, she says.

For instance, the camel Kipesh is portrayed as gazing at and even mocking his owner. Additionally, Qi meticulously captures details such as tire tracks, footprints and iron pots from Chinese construction sites in the wilderness, giving the work a timeless quality.

Cao Yin, a tenured associate professor of history at Peking University, observes that in today's travel trend of taking photos for social media, this book takes a different approach. The author embarks on a challenging journey, enduring hardships such as stomach troubles, blisters and sunburn. By sharing meals and living with locals, he integrates into African tribes and gains trust through empathy and mutual respect, capturing the authentic and vibrant essence of Africa.

Qi's grounded journal offers the public a look into the complex realities of African societies and provides valuable grassroots insights for academic understanding of Africa, he notes.