Turkana
Nigel Pavitt
Hardcover: 240 pages
Publisher: Harry N Abrams (October 1, 1997)
ISBN: 0810938960
Overall Rating: 5 Stars 
Readability: 5 Stars
Content: 5 Stars
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this book
When I was in northern Kenya, on my way to see the Turkana tribe
and their “Jade Sea”, I met the author of this book
at an overland truck stop. I remember gazing in disbelief at the
pictures within. When I finally drove the rough road north, I
met a fierce looking, yet utmost friendly group of people, the
Turkana. I would play my guitar with them for hours and then try
to take one picture after we were all comfortable with each other.
Before I had a chance to forward to the next exposure every last
one of them had “run for their lives”. Many non-touristed
tribal people are extremely uneasy of the idea of having pictures
taken of them. The pictures in this book reflect the tribe's trust
and respect for the author. Like any wonderful Africa picture
book, this one, I must assume, took many long months, or years.
I remember the author, in Kenya, selling this same book for $20.00.
At the time, that was a whole day's budget, so I had to wait until
now to buy it at three times the price — but that is quite
all right, because the memories that this book will bring back
are incredible. Nigel, thank you for a wonderful book.
Second Review
Lake Turkana is one of the most fascinating areas in Africa
and Nigel Pavitt does an exemplary job capturing images of the
people who inhabit this harsh land. The Turkana region of Kenya
is a large area of desert scrub that surrounds the infamous Lake
Turkana. The area is extremely dry and rain rarely falls. The
Turkana people are largely pastoral and live today much as they
have for thousands of years. Turkana's pages are graced with 220
photographs illustrating the daily lives of the Turkana people.
Aside from the introduction and epilogue, there are six main sections
of the book. Each section focuses on different aspects of Turkana
tribal life, from Homestead Life to Ceremonies and Celebrations.
Every section begins with several pages of detailed text, explaining
Turkana culture in detail. The rest of the section is dedicated
to photographs that illustrate the topics discussed in the earlier
text. Every picture is accompanied by a short text entry, explaining
the photograph in detail. Pavitt is extraordinarily successful
in finding the perfect balance between informative text and breathtaking
photography, melding them into a union, and creating a masterful
text that is rarely equaled.
