SAMBURU NATIONAL RESERVE (Kenya): For generations, the nomadic peoples of the Samburu, a region of dry savannahs in Kenya’s remote northern frontier, have struggled to survive, battling for resources in their barren homelands.
The conflict over water, pasture and livestock has left many dead and tensions high between the numerous clans who inhabit the parched landscape.
Life is much as it has been for more than two centuries, but modernity has meant that the spears of the clans’ ancestors have been replaced with guns and the fight for resources has increasingly turned ugly.
“We (all) share the same ecology, which is scarce, so competition arises,” said David Lokia, a 26-year-old Samburu warrior. “Even wild animals fight when things are scarce.”
For Lokia, the fighting that has scarred the lives of so many families in Samburu has gone on for long enough. Deciding to lead his people by example, he organized a “peace run”, aimed at convincing his neighbours it is better to share than wage war over the meagre resources the region offers.
Mustering a group of around 20 fellow warriors from various ethnic groups, his peace run was the first of its kind, held on May 10 to little fanfare and much personal conviction.
The warriors, who would normally be fighting each other, dressed themselves in traditional costumes — red wraparound cloths and red ochre makeup, beaded jewellery or white turbans, each according to the tradition of his tribe.
The men ran together, carrying a universally understood symbol of peace — a white
flag which they passed from man to man as they made their way through the dry hot landscape.
Stopping at every village that they passed — small settlements of stick and cow dung houses, often kilometres (miles) apart — the peace run brought its message to the people.
CHANGING ATTITUDES: News of clashes is often slow to travel from the remote areas of the Samburu, but newspapers in the Kenyan capital Nairobi tell of cattle rustling and fighting in the northern reaches of the country with alarming frequency.
In May 2000, about 40 people were killed in clashes between nomads when the Borana and Samburu ethnic groups teamed up against rival Somali clans.
Though brought up with the traditional values of a Samburu warrior, Lokia believes attitudes can be changed.
“Warriors should use their bravery to build peace and not war and violence,” said Lokia, who had to walk hundreds of kilometres to where his ethnic rivals lived to recruit runners for his mission.
The run won the admiration of many. Passing through a Turkana village, the warriors were greeted by a group of women, who emerged holding hands and stamping their feet.
The women sang a song of praise about the bravery and strength of the warriors who were bringing glad tidings of peace to their homes.
Lokia believes that peace is about mental awareness and acceptance. He says he will return to the villages next year with a bigger and better peace run, spreading his message until the conflict comes to an end.
For 10 months of the year, the Samburu district is hot and arid, and May’s downpours bring welcome relief.
The Ewaso Nyiro river floods with runoff waters from the heavy rains, and the burst of lush vegetation signals a time of plenty for the many animals who call Samburu their home.
For the people of Samburu also, May’s rain and abundant pastures are a time for hope.
