rememberthegoat

Oil isn’t a curse, it is the inequality of wealth and power that so often accompany oil that is the problem. When large oil deposits are found in an area as poor and marginalised as Turkana there is the potential for that gap to be at its most extreme. The word ‘marginalised’ is used a lot in relation to communities in northern Kenya but it is worth stating exactly what it means regarding the people of Turkana. It means that the local people have not had a direct or indirect voice in the ... Continue Reading

In parts of northern Kenya you can encounter the curious sight of many upside down trees. They dot the landscape, as many of them upside down as right way up in places. Some areas of northern Kenya have been so dry for so long that there is little but dust to hold the roots of the trees in place. A strong wind pushes at the bare branches and worries away the dry soil round the base of the tree. Sometimes it takes just hours, sometimes weeks or months, but once loosened the result is nearly ... Continue Reading

One day, as I walked along the eastern shore of Lake Turkana, I came across this wonderful pink flip flop boat. Parents and older children often make toys for the younger kids from bits and bobs of rubbish. Cars made from plastic cooking oil containers, cut in half and with plastic lids for wheels. Or large plastic pot lids nailed to a stick and used for wheeling along. But this simple plastic flip flop boat, with a stick for a mast and a bit of plastic bag for a sail, is one of the most stylish ... Continue Reading