Sunday 26 April 2009

Pokot Tribe - Kenya

WARNING! Please refrain from stealing these pictures and putting them on your blogs!







Its hard to film and take pictures at the same time. There are so many moments during filming where you think "Damn, that would have been a great picture!". For many years I used to carry a Nikon 601 around my neck while I was filming and then after a while I stopped as it just got on my nerves and impeded on my work.







We filmed a promo film with Luke Gamble, following him around Kenya and one of the places we went to was the remote region bordering Sudan inhabited by the Plains Pokot Tribe.
The lush green valleys of the Rift Valley quickly gave way to a hot and arid landscape full of scraggly bushes and ant hills.







We planned to sleep in the village for one night but the local tribe we had visited were going through a period of violent unrest with another nearby tribe; they would each steal each others goats and little cattle they had and happily shoot each other for the fun of it.







It was very difficult to take pictures of them as they all wanted to be paid for the privilege, so it took a lot of persevering and snapping away while they weren't looking. Bit naughty, but I didn't want to pay.











Before filming could begin, we had to attend the village meeting which took about two hours. All the men from the village sat in a circle while the leaders were introduced to us. We would then show our gratitude and thanks for their hospitality and they in turn welcomed us amongst them. Really endearing, but a bit tiring, especially when you have lots of filming to do and an 10 hour drive back to Nairoibi!











It always surprises me how humans are able to survive in the most extreme conditions. How do they live in places with no water, where nothing grows and where all there is to eat are goats.







I'm sure they all smoked a lot of pot, chewed khat or something similar.















A local school hut.







Women relax in the shade while all the men gather for a meeting.











He sold me his hat for $20!










WARNING! Please refrain from stealing these pictures and putting them on your blogs!

1 comment:

Michael Frederiksen said...

Absolutely stunning photos, each Kenyan with dignity and character...I would pay for these pics!