YouTuber shows reality of Africa's biggest slum home to 1,000,000 people
There are a number of places across the world that are probably only safe to view through the eyes of a YouTuber, and thankfully certain creators have traveled far and wide to explore a wide variety of unexpected destinations.
While there's plenty of interest in the world's most remote islands and forgotten cities just a few miles away from incredibly populated areas, some of the most fascinating videos shared on the platform involve creators often risking their lives in incredibly dangerous locations.
One YouTuber who has traveled to every single country on the planet has revealed his own pick for the scariest city if you ever needed to know where you should probably avoid, and another creator has shared his experience venturing through Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, particularly in areas that even the locals urge you to avoid.
Popular creator Indigo Traveller, also known by his real name Nick, has shared his experience in many of the world's most feared places, and has also on a number of occasions taken his camera into slums with 'harsh' conditions, and his latest video tracks his experience in Africa's biggest slum, which is also the second largest of its kind across the world.
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The slum in question is located in Kibera, which is a division and neighborhood of Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya. It sits just 4.1 miles (6.6 kilometers) from the city center, and many estimate that it's home to over 1,000,000 people, despite previous census reports officially indicating it to be 'just' 170,070.
Almost all of its residents live in what's deemed to be extreme poverty, earning less that $2 every single day at best with large rates of unemployment. Additionally, previous estimates indicated that around 12% of the population of Kibera lives with HIV, and it's also an incredibly dangerous place to be for locals and visitors alike.
Nick got a glimpse of that before he even made it to the slum, as he found it incredibly difficult to find a driver who would take him there. It was explained that it's unsafe to take a car into Kibera, as the wheels and wing mirrors will be taken off the car.
He ended up having to pay a premium, which included going with someone who knows people in the slum — in particular, the criminals that would make venturing into the neighborhood dangerous otherwise.
Locals have described the severe risk that rivers running through the slum can pose, as they're prone to flooding beyond waist level, which can easily wash away many of the shanty houses that are close nearby.
While crime runs rampant in the slum, there are also plenty of efforts to fight back against it from the locals, including car washing stations that help people provide a living for themselves.
Some locals even take part in a ritual of sorts before they start washing cars, where they throw the most expensive shoes they've stolen over a power line to prove that they're committed to giving up their former life of crime.
You might also be surprised to find out that Bitcoin is a growing form of commerce in Kibera, yet it's essential for the locals to make the most of what they earn as while Kenyan Shillings depreciate in value over time, Bitcoin typically stays the same or even grows, making it much more effective.