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All About Africa
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The Omo Valley - Malachy Harty. Along with a local lady, a Californian and a boy from Barcelona, we rented a landcruiser for a week to visit the Lower Omo Valley. The area is famous for tribes, such as the Mursi and Banna, who maintain their traditional way of life. It was a rough week of very early mornings. Our rickety four wheel drive bounced slowly along the dirt roads. In the south, the rains had ended but they had dug the roads up before going. At one river we met, we all walked across a branch and waited for the landcruiser to plunge into the water and slip and slide up the bank. The Mursi are the most documented of these tribes, probably because of the spectacular round lip plates which the women wear. At a young age, the lip is pierced and stretched until a disk of up to six inches can be supported between the gum and the lip. The Mursi tribe we visited seem to have forsaken all traditional work so that they can devote themselves to a more lucrative occupation, modeling. At ten cent per person per photo, they are probably earning more than most Ethiopian doctors and layers. The next day we wandered through busy market at Key Afar where tribe’s people came to buy and sell. It was wonderful to watch these elegant people watching us with similar curiosity. It’s hard to believe that a woman really wears that goat skin skirt with cowrie shell trim when she’s asking for a photo sale. When you see her walking into town to buy honey and sorghum flour, you know it’s not just for the camera’s sake. |
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