The Kara People : Omo Valley, Ethiopia
In Southwest Ethiopia just north of Kenya’s Lake Turkana and near the western border with Sudan is a place National Geographic Magazine called “The Last Frontier in Africa”. When I heard that I knew I had to visit.
The Omo Valley has 10 tribes including the Kara. The people of the valley farm and maintain large herds of goats and cattle which is the basis of the economy. Armed conflicts between tribes still occurs from time to time over resources.
While photographing Kara life and culture over the years I became quite familiar and connected with the people and the place.
The Kara welcomed me into their simple wooden huts for coffee and conversation (through a local interpreter). Goats would wander in and out as we sat on dried skins, enjoyed talking about local news and sought relief from what sometimes was intense heat or sometimes cold rain.
I would spend more than 10 years visiting the Kara sometimes for weeks at a time sleeping in tents along the Omo River. We had a river boat and a good crew who could help translate and navigate the waters of the river.
As I watched the region being impacted by development and encroachment on native lands, photographing the traditional way of life became important to me. I was joined by my friends Sebastio Salgado and Steve McCurry along with other photographers who wanted to make and preserve images of these traditional cultures before they disappeared.
After many years I was made an honorary Elder of the Kara Tribe and invited to sit with my age group at the Elders Council.
All of this and more led to the making of the award winning documentary film, Omo Child: The River and the Bush which is available on all platforms.
