honorable mention
Louis Nderi kenya
title
43
The origin of El Molo people is not certain, some say that the El Molo people came from Ethiopia, others say Somalia. It is asserted that they originally settled on the northern shores of Lake Turkana, where they were mostly wiped out by other tribes and forced to move south to the small group of islands where they live today - at the "Island of Ghosts." The reason for the rapid decrease in their population is attributed to inbreeding, a singular diet of fish and limited access to clean water.
Since the entry of the missionaries into Kenya, many Kenyan ethnic tribes have accepted the modern way of life and as such their cultures and traditions are slowly fading. Some of these communities like the El Molo tribe for instance no longer have individuals who can speak the original dialect and have been assimilated into other neighbouring tribes.
This series is part of a larger project called 43, which represents the total number of communities living in Kenya. The aim of this project is to record the traditional and current ways of life of the indigenous communities through stories and folklore, telling the greater story of Kenya through the lens of both its indigenous and now urbanized people.
photos to tell the stories. Professionally Louis has been working for 5
years, with a variety of clients such as the International Trade Centre
(UN), Unilever, and the Java House Group. In 2013, Louis won The
Young Photographer of the Year award from the Photography
Association of Kenya and has had his work featured in both local and
international press.
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entry description
The El Molo, also known as The Gurapau (People of the Lake), are a remote hunter gatherer community living on the South-Eastern edge of Lake Turkana. There are estimated to be 300-400 people remaining from this tribe and are the most endangered tribe from Kenya. El Molo loosely means “Those who make a living from sources other than cattle.”The origin of El Molo people is not certain, some say that the El Molo people came from Ethiopia, others say Somalia. It is asserted that they originally settled on the northern shores of Lake Turkana, where they were mostly wiped out by other tribes and forced to move south to the small group of islands where they live today - at the "Island of Ghosts." The reason for the rapid decrease in their population is attributed to inbreeding, a singular diet of fish and limited access to clean water.
Since the entry of the missionaries into Kenya, many Kenyan ethnic tribes have accepted the modern way of life and as such their cultures and traditions are slowly fading. Some of these communities like the El Molo tribe for instance no longer have individuals who can speak the original dialect and have been assimilated into other neighbouring tribes.
This series is part of a larger project called 43, which represents the total number of communities living in Kenya. The aim of this project is to record the traditional and current ways of life of the indigenous communities through stories and folklore, telling the greater story of Kenya through the lens of both its indigenous and now urbanized people.
about the photographer
Louis Nderi is portrait and documentary photographer that uses hisphotos to tell the stories. Professionally Louis has been working for 5
years, with a variety of clients such as the International Trade Centre
(UN), Unilever, and the Java House Group. In 2013, Louis won The
Young Photographer of the Year award from the Photography
Association of Kenya and has had his work featured in both local and
international press.
back to gallery