This painting entitled “Don’t kill us like flies!” could summarize Turkana: an incredibly harsh place to live in – a desert of extreme aridity, – and yet I have been told that it is over a massive underground freshwater lake. Oil was found here in 2012. But what happens to the local people when there’s big money to be got from their land?
The lady in this painting, on learning that oil was to be found under her feet cried “Don’t kill us like flies!” The group of Turkana women learning about the discoveries on their land were terrified they would be relocated.
And I’m not going into the Gibe III Dam, only 600 km north of Lake Turkana, completed in 2015 in Ethiopia, on the Omo River that feeds 90 % of Lake Turkana’s water. Nor will I talk about the irrigation schemes on the Lower Omo that take even more water out of the Omo River (cf Report by Sean Avery, entitled “What Future for Lake Turkana”). These dictate the drastic future for Lake Turkana!
To read more about the Lake Turkana Wind Power Station completed in 2017 (with the line evacuating the power generated completed in July 2019), click here:
But on the scenic/ethnological side, there is potential for an incredible future, if only Lake Turkana is given a chance! The scenery is stunning, and the people beautiful, again if they are given a chance to survive peacefully.
According to the 2019 Kenyan census (Source: Wikipedia), the Turkana numbered around 1 million, making the Turkana, at that time, the third largest Nilotic ethnic group in Kenya, after the Kalenjin and the Luo: i.e., more numerous than the Maasai. (The population of Kenya today is 55.8 million.) They inhabit the whole northwest of Kenya, between Lake Turkana to the East and the escarpment making the Uganda boundary on the West.
All Turkana men belong to one of two generations sets: the stones (nimur) or the leopards (nerisai) Source: Portraits of Africa – The People of Kenya, Mohamed Amin, text by Peter Moll, Editions Harvill Press. The age sets alternate between fathers and sons. I find the names of these two age groups fascinating. Indeed, the landscape is shrouded in volcanic rocks/stones and boulders that shred any hiking boots to pieces. But what about leopards? Was this area also “shrouded” in leopards in a previous time? Could this be the reason why, in the past, so many Turkana, Pokot (who copied the Turkana in many ways for their decorative headdresses and attires) and Marakwet of Kerio Valley wore capes made of leopard skins? Were leopards abundant here in those days?
One of my father’s photos taken in the 1950s at a ceremony at Elgeyo Marakwet he was invited to. In this photo alone, how many leopard skins can you see the Pokot wearing? I’ve counted at least 4 and you?
We went to Turkana in 2019, to the West side of the majestic Jade Sea. It’s easier to go to this side with regular accessible daily flights to Lodwar, the administrative centre. One of our goals was to visit Central Island.
Central Island, also known as Crocodile Island, is a volcanic island located in the middle of Lake Turkana. It is a National Park, governed by the Kenya Wildlife Service. It has more than a dozen craters and cones, three of which are filled by small lakes. The two largest lakes partially fill craters up to a kilometre wide and about 80 m deep, with their lake floors being almost at sea level. These three craters are:
What an amazing man he was. His main job is boat driver and with the storms, wind and rough water, you have to be an outstanding boat driver and know what you are doing on Lake Turkana. I found him very tough at times. But I learned that he, as all the Turkana, is a product of survival in extreme conditions. He has to be tough to survive. He was to prove to be the most expert boat driver, taking us back to the mainland against a strong wind and with waves well over twice the height of our little boat. The Jade Sea was very rough! His priority is just to survive and not small talk with the clients 😊 A good subtle lesson for me to learn and understand!
Finally look at the grass on Central Island. This is a National Park. There are no goats. Could this be another project to make Turkana incredible? Collect grass seeds from here and grow grass fields. Because of the just about non-existent rains, the project could take too many years to mature and be viable. Nevertheless, before the many ethnic groups descended into Kenya, was this land a land of grass plains with leopards roaming free? I read that the Turkana came to this area in the 1600! I wonder what the land they came into was like!
What do you think?
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