The Turkana Artists Exchange Project

As the AEF delegates gather in Nairobi for the 25th edition of this Forum, much will be on their minds as they deliberate on 'energy issues' at the KICC, so far away from where the energy is generated. Peter Achayo, Founder/Publisher of the WhatsArtNBO Journal & AfricanArtMatters reflects on energy, culture and art.

Energy is not generated in a vacuum, and far too often the communities native to these epicenters are usually, if anything the last to be brought into conversations about potential projects in their land or neighbourhoods.

Turkana County forms the northern most corner of Kenya and borders Southern Sudan to the North and Uganda to the North West.

It is a vast arid area that has suffered from years of neglect due to historical political marginalization, hence it has remained underdeveloped, underserved and poor causing communal conflicts and social stress.

The locals are nomadic pastoralists whose very livelihood is in cattle keeping.

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Due to their marginalization, the Turkana have often been at the margins of many important decisions concerning their region and futures as well.

In the last 2 decades, the political & economic importance of Turkana changed with the discovery of Oil in the Turkana Basin, with Tullow Oil winning a concession to explore commercial viability of the oil deposits.

Further East in Marsabit County, the Turkana Wind Power Development Project was completed successfully.

With these two developments, Turkana gained new political & economic status both nationally and internationally.

This brought with it renewed interest & vitality in the region with the local youth dreaming of dividends from the investments.

The Turkana Artist Xchange Initiative is one example of young creatives re-imagining their futures and inviting us to their ‘World-making’ project as they reframe old, demeaning narratives about place and people.

The Turkana Artists Exchange is a joyful, collaborative exploration bringing artists from Nairobi and Turkana to create work inspired by the region resulting in bold new visuals and a new way of thinking that is modern yet deeply rooted in tradition.

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When oil was discovered in Kenya in 2012, there was great excitement among the political elite and the Kenyan public.

The oil was found in Turkana, Northern Kenya, an area so marginalized that the people did not identify as Kenyans.

Post-independence policies had deliberately marginalized the arid north, home to nomadic cattle keepers, focusing all the resources in the agriculturally rich south of the country where it was believed the quickest path to economic growth lay. But now with the discovery of oil, Kenya was laying claim to Turkana.

Film director Jackie Lebo had felt deeply drawn to the story of the region, founding the Turkana Art Exchange as she began work on a documentary film.

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Historically, Turkana was so marginalised that the people did not identify as Kenyans. Post-independence policies had overlooked the north, home to nomadic cattle keepers, focusing all the resources in the agriculturally-rich south where it was believed the quickest path, to economic growth lay. But following the discovery of oil in 2012, and he excitement it created among the Kenyan public and the political elite, Kenya laid claim to Turkana.

Jackie reached out to a childhood friend, Ikal Angelei, who had moved back home to Turkana and was now a Goldman Prize-winning activist working with communities in the region on environmental and economic rights.

Ikal provided insight to the area and helped the filmmaking team gain access to villages and individuals most affected by the oil. The team went into the project believing people wanted a fair share of oil revenues, which was true, but they wanted so much more. “They really challenged what we believed,” says Jackie. “They also wanted water and security to continue their pastoralist way of life because it was part of their culture and identity.” Lebo’s film, Turkana: Race for Resources, depicts the complex legacy of the oil discovery and its regional impact.