Daniel Simón

The Color of Pomegranates

Anyone who knows me knows that, from a very young age, I’ve had an obsession with growth. With learning more — more about what? It didn’t matter. With knowing more — about what? Anything. With working more — on what? Whatever. Always driven by one word: MORE. More of everything. MORE, MORE, AND MORE.

Without realizing it, that hunger slowly started burning me out from the inside. It got to a point where I couldn’t do anything without wondering what the consequence, the reward, or the lesson behind it would be. I kept moving just to feel busy, even if I had no idea where I was going.

But I don’t want that anymore. Now, I want to move less — but with greater intention. I want to consciously choose, and at the same time, allow myself to be a little more unconscious. To savor each step without rushing the path. To truly see what surrounds me and feel connected to it. To reconnect with the things I loved as a child — and do everything I can to see life with that same sense of wonder.

01. “Princess” – Part of the project “Ashe: Kenya Colours”

In 2018, journalist and I embarked on a self-produced documentary project to tell the story of Mama Tunza, a well-known figure in Kibera—the largest slum in Kenya and one of the largest in the world.

Mama Tunza’s life changed dramatically when she found a baby, still alive, abandoned in a trash bin. She took the child in and cared for them, marking the beginning of her lifelong mission to shelter abandoned children. Over time, the number of children under her care grew beyond what her small home could accommodate. Thanks to donations from tourists over the years, she was able to establish a dedicated refuge outside Nairobi, providing a home for nearly 100 children.

Sadly, when we arrived at the refuge, we learned that Mama Tunza had passed away, and after her death, all the children left the place.

Only Princess and her family remained, doing their best to maintain the refuge, hoping that one day, it would once again become a home for children in need..