WE ARE BACK! EYE MISSION SUCCESSFUL , TREK AMAZING

We flew into South Horr, just south of Lake Turkana by midday and met up with Dee Belliere, founder of MEAK, and Helen Douglas Dufresne, our walking guide, founder of MILGIS  TRUST and MEAK’s partner on the ground for this mission.

The eye mission was well on its way and despite some very serious hurdles it was turning out to be quite successful. The location had been moved from the original plan. Due to tribal conflicts in the area the mission had to be moved from Waso Rongai to the Horr valley. The Samburu sports center in the town of South Horr had been made available and the community could not have been more welcoming.

The final count was gratifying: 214 eyes operations were done and 4 patients were referred and flown to Nairobi. The medical team (one surgeon, three nurses and one anesthetist) was smaller than usual – one less doctor – and did an amazing job.

However there was clearly a sense of frustration. This mission had been planned for months and one of the goals had been to treat the Samburu and the Turkana people, neighboring tribes. Traditionally these tribes are often warring each other over their livestock. A lot of effort had been put into promoting peace and it seemed like it was working. Many eye cases had been identified among the Turkana people. Sadly shortly before the beginning of the mission the Turkanas had raided the Samburus and stolen 400 head of cattle. As a result no Turkana would risk coming into Samburu land to have their eyes fixed despite the fact that many needed operations. But such is life in the distant lands of Northern Kenya and the MEAK team that worked in partnership with the Milgis Trust team did an amazing job despite the circumstances.  When I am in Africa I always remember a Clint Eastwood line: “Adapt and Improvise.”

There is still much more that needs to be done!
We arrived in time to see some cataract operations being done, and even more gratifying we witnessed the reaction of many of the patients when the eye patches were removed seeing for the first time in years.  The quiet chatter, gentle laughter, and beaming smiles were a sight to behold!

Cataract operations were the majority but a few patients with Trachoma were treated and other eye ailments were also attended to. Trachoma is prevalent in this area and a major cause of blindness. As a result of recurrent infections the eyelids turn into themselves and the eyelashes constantly rub against the eyeball creating constant excruciating pain.  To address this situation, a team has been scouring the region screening for eye ailments and teaching better hygiene.

We took a day and a half to get our bearings. The night before we took off, the Samburu men, many of them dressed in their warrior gear, treated us to an amazing dance and song performance.  It was a gesture of thank you and a very special gift. These dances and songs have existed for centuries and are profoundly moving. We felt very honored.

Most of the Samburu men would be coming along with us on the trek, leading the camels and setting up camps.

We started our trek south towards the Milgis Lugga through the Ndoto mountains. We trekked through a landscape that was breathtaking. We started at the Horr Valley walking across the south end of Ol Donyo Mara into the Seren valley.

We traveled through open plains, and valleys with the bush in full bloom. See the lovely Cadia (Purpurea) flower!

We climbed rocky hills, traversed the Ndikir Laurie mountain pass, reaching heights that allowed us magnificent views of the Ndotos peaks and valleys. We camped near dry river beds or luggas – one, the Lomolok Lugga, turned into a flowing and bubbling stream in 10 minutes – or on mountain tops in Urra that made you want to cry or laugh or just simply sit quietly in awe at the beauty of our planet.

Once the need to talk waned our senses awakened to the bush life surrounding us.  As I walked I would stop to pick the leaves and seeds of the sage bush delighting in its perfume, or loose all sense of time as I followed the movements of the rosy patch bush shrike whose song had caught our attention, or yet again admire the candelabra like sculptural form of the many euphorbia trees in full bloom.

I stood mesmerized by the vibrant yellow blooms along its cactus like limbs creating a halo around the tree.

We encountered young children who are given responsibility at an early age herding the family goats. We were an oddity in this part of Northern Kenya and a great source of amusement and curiosity to these youngsters. We passed by Samburu manyattas or huts clustered together and protected from predators by an enclosure made of twigs and branches.

We did run into the occasional warrior, armed to the teeth and yet very stylish. I was very lucky to get a picture of one of them.

The level of excitement in the group peeked when we ran across very fresh elephant dung! Our chances of running into a big bush animal were seriously improving. Birds, dik diks, herds of goats were great but we wanted the big stuff!  Total silence was requested which I welcomed with great relief and perseverance paid off. Twice we spotted those majestic creatures on the hills feasting on the trees. Some of us who had amazing eyesight could just see them with the naked eye. I, on the other hand, needed my binoculars!

Every morning we woke up at 5:30am to the song of the Samburu man coming to fill our washbasin with hot water. After a cup of tea or coffee, we departed under the rising sun for our day’s journey. Four camels carrying our breakfast, which the Samburu men would set up mid-morning when we needed those extra calories to help us along, accompanied us. Pete and Helen, our guides, made sure we had a full breakfast!  Fruit, eggs , yellow like you have never seen, homemade muesli  we figured that if we marketed it ,we would make a killing it was so good.

Some of us at the end of the day wanted a final challenge before turning in and climbed some pretty steep hills and encountered baboons along the way.

Intermittent rain was mostly refreshing though at times it was unexpected and created quite a stir.  One night we went to sleep under starry skies and rain startled us awake in the middle of the night.  Jumping out of our bedrolls, we rushed out of our tents to undo the flaps of our rain cover with the help of the Samburu team. But by the time we got back into our tents, bedrolls and clothes were wet except for some clever ones who had had the prescience to keep their bags packed and had thought of covering their mattress. I was not one of them!  We did not let that happen again!

Under Helen Douglas Dufresne’s instruction we learned to identify Orion’s Belt at night and Venus and Mercury at sunrise. We fell in love with the dogs that accompanied us. More then once I found myself woken up from my mid-afternoon nap on a mattress laid down on the grass by an over eager dog’s paws on my chest.

The real stars of this walk were our Samburu porters who worked tirelessly to make us comfortable and who on an impulse would break into a song and a dance for their own enjoyment and to our utter delight.

Some of us, unfortunately, fell sick but were amazingly brave. We had to adjust the pace of our walk and did not get to see the Latakwen clinic that is my special project. We all made it to our destination though, which was Helen’s base camp, Lkanto, set at the top of a hill situated at the confluence of the Milgis and Sarya Luggas.

We took in for the last time the awe inspiring, view savoring our accomplishment yet a bit sad because of the upcoming good byes. I confess that there is no place I would rather be then on top of that hill with its 360 degree view of the two large riverbeds with to the south, the mountains of the Matthews and Mt Kenya in the far distance, and to the north the Ndotos hills.

After a quick shower we departed for the airstrip where a final treat was awaiting us. The children from the local school dressed in their Samburu outfits performed a dance celebrating a world where man and nature coexist in harmony.

Still under their spell we climbed into our charter plane after effusive thanks to Helen and Pete Insley who had led us very competently and brought us back safe.

Thank you for an amazing journey.

He was quite a striking figure with his very long dread locks and colored clothes, which he wears both as a reflexion of his religious beliefs. He is a member of the Baye Fall, a specifically Senegalese form of Islam and part of the larger Islamic brotherhood of Mouridism.

In his own words: ” In Baye Fall, we have something called a jarasse. It’s the multi-colored clothes that I wear most of the time. And the music on my album, Jamm is a kind of jarasse because it has many colors. If you unite this patchwork of colors, what do you get? You get harmony, and harmony is life.  Musically, I’m very open to new ideas, new colors. That’s the source of the variety in my music. “

On this journey that I have undertaken with the African continent, I find myself opening doors and encountering worlds heretofore unbeknownst to me. I discover histories, talents, personal journeys that move me profoundly and speak loudly and persistently of the limitless courage, rich talents, and absolute dedication of many Africans striving to have their own voice heard and effect change in their world and beyond.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-VrfadKbco

The South African singer Miriam Makeba (1932-2008) is one of those gorgeous voices that enthralled the world during the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s. Her songs like “Pata Pata” and Maleika are part of our collective memory. She was the first artist from Africa to popularize African music in the U.S and around the world. However, it is the story of her life in exile because she was an outspoken critic of apartheid politics and defender of civil rights that moved me deeply.

Mama Africa, a documentary of her life by Mika Kaurismaki can be seen at the Festival of African Film, which is being held at the Walter Read Theater at Lincoln Center. Her success and fame as a singer brought her great joy but it came at a price. She sang of her life and of her people in South Africa and her songs came to be seen as political. A successful recording artist by her mid twenties she was eager to leave South Africa to expand her career. Little did she know that her passport would not be renewed and that she would eventually be forbidden from coming back to South Africa.  Soon discovered by Harry Belafonte she settled in the US where she became a great hit. Her deep, rich, and powerful voice, her songs, which fused African traditional rhythms and jazz, her charm and manner made her an instant favorite of the American public.

However, two events would change the course of her life and confirm her exile status.  In 1962 she testified against apartheid at the United Nations, which led to her official excommunication by the South African government. I was mesmerized by her gentle voice as she spoke in front of all the delegates and deeply moved by her courage. A few years later she married Stokely Carmichael, the Black Panther leader and by 1968 they had to both leave the US. Stokely was seen as a serious threat by the US government during the Civil Rights movement. They settled in Guinea, West Africa – they divorced eventually – and she continued to perform in Africa, Europe and Asia but not in the US. She was allowed to return to South Africa after Nelson Mandela was elected. She died performing on stage in 2008! Not being able to come back for so many years was a great sadness which she expressed in her songs.

Tinariwen are a band of Touareg-Berber musicians from the Sahara desert region of Northern Mali. They have performed internationally and their fifth album Tassili won the Award for Best World Music Album in 2011. It was recorded in the rocky desert as you can see in the video.  Tinariwen share their perspective on the events in Northern Mali and offer an alternative perspective. Make sure to read the post and the following comments which provides further insights on the issues.

Tinariwen-speaks-out-on-the-coup-in-mali

Friday night at Symphony Space in New York City, Nimbaya, the all-women percussion and dance ensemble from Guinea, came out strongly for women causes in Africa and spoke out against FGM (female genital mutilation). To the powerful rhythmic sound of the drums mixing humor to drama they created a narrative that condemned FGM. I loved their playful spirit as the sound of the drums became the women’s surrogate voices at times defiant, joyful, and celebratory.

The following night, Uganda was front stage at NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. Spirit of Uganda, a group of young drummers, singers, and dancers from Uganda     – the youngest was eleven and the oldest in the mid-twenties – has been on a long tour through the USA bringing along a flavor of the culture, traditions, and sounds of Uganda. They were outstanding! Uganda’s population has been ravaged by war and AIDS and these children have all suffered personally from both. Spirit of Uganda is an Empower Africa Children’s artistic initiative aiming to raise public awareness for the children’s plight in Uganda. The main goal of this initiative is to help vulnerable children in Africa and in particular Uganda where there are over 2 million orphans. All participants are from Uganda. Peter Kasule, the artistic director, was raised in an orphanage in Uganda and educated in the US in music technology.  A charismatic and lively maestro during the performance, he introduced each dance explaining its origin and link to local lore or every day life thereby highlighting the authenticity of the performances. To the beat of the drums played with gusto by athletic young men, the young women and girls wearing lovely bright colored outfits danced skillfully rocking, hopping, swaying, twirling and shaking at times seductively enchanting the audience with their exuberance. I was in total awe when all the women danced carrying a ceramic pot on the head. None fell!

“Nweti” is a song performed by the group from Mozambique “Amoya” in the 1990’s and sung by Mingas, a singer from Mozambique. From a young age she sang in the night clubs of Maputo, and eventually sang with the most popular bands of the 1070’s in Maputo. I love this song and the video. It takes me right back to East Africa. It was also performed at the Women of the World International.

Nweti (<-CLICK TO WATCH)

I am adding a little music to the mix; after all music is central to the life of many Africans.  It is  very much part of my experience in Africa whether I am walking in the bush with Samburu tribesmen who spontaneously start singing while walking, watching the Dama Dance in Dogon country, sitting in a bar in Bamako, or just lounging in my apartment in New York listening to an amazing selection of African music put together by a passionate collector of hundreds of African songs. In the spirit of my previous post which speaks of a Dogon traditional performance I am posting traditional African Rhythms from Camaroon. Drums or calabashes, as in the video below, as well as rattles, and xylophones are some of the main instruments. Repetitiveness is definitely a striking aspect of this music which puts one in almost trance like state.

Stay tuned for regular weekly music postings. If you have additional suggestions, they are welcome!