Exploiting Turkana

“Almost everything in Turkana is an emergency” Peter Lokoel, Deputy Govenor Turkana Modernity versus tradition; pressure on people and cultures; the potential for environmental catastrophe and private enterprises laying claim to the planet’s natural resources all challenge Turkana. This is one of the world’s “poorest” places, which just happens to sit atop what is believed to be one of the richest oil reserves in East Africa. Pulitzer grantee Jessica Hatcher’s account clearly demonstrates how many of the most pressing problems faced by human beings in the twenty-first century coalesce in Turkana. Ironically this microcosm of humanity’s challenging future is sited in the place that experts believe to be the birthplace of mankind.