Breaking My African Heart

The campsite run by the Isgargaro Women’s group in Loglogo used to be my favorite place to stay during my visits to the area.  Over the years, however, the accommodations in other locations have greatly improved, while Isgargaro’s huts and buildings have slowly been...

Weapons, Testosterone and a Race

A day of rest was all we needed.  I felt better and Kura was ready to move. It is hard for people who have left villages like Korr to then return home.  The cultural expectation to provide support and money to others is overwhelming.  At each village we visit, it does...

No, Kura, I Will Not Die

Our time in Loiyangalani includes a few trips to swim in Lake Turkana, about a mile west of town. Brushing aside thoughts of crocodiles, we douse our sun-scorched bodies in the cool water. On our final night, Turkana dancers meet us on the shoreline as the sun sets....

A Land of Ethnic Conflicts, Livestock Raiders and Cheetahs

At 6 am, our group leaves in two vehicles.  I am driving Gumps with Semej and Omar, Kit, Chip and Corwin.  Kura has David, Maina and a dozen other passengers under canvas in the back of the Defender. We will drive from Korr to Loiyangalani through a semi-desert land...

Halhalo and the Bush Dinner

We have settled into a few nights in the village of Korr, one of the largest settled villages in the Kaisut region with a surrounding population of 14,000 people.  Bound by a need to support each other in a harsh place, Somali Muslim and Christian communities (African...