Turkana

This is a photographic expose of the Turkana people in the far north-west corner of Kenya. They are an independent tribe, one of the last truly nomadic peoples in Africa. The rainfall in the Lake Turkana region rarely exceeds six inches per annum, and daytime temperatures soar to more than 100 degrees fahrenheit in the shade. For ten months of the year, the Turkana live a transitory life dictated by the need to find water and grazing for their herds. But in the rainy season the landscape is transformed to an iridescent green. The herds put on flesh and social activity peaks in July, with a cycle of marriages, feasts, rituals and festivals. Dances are an almost nightly occurrence. Great emphasis is placed on display: young men sport elaborate hairstyles of brightly painted clay topped with ostrich feathers, young girls adorn themselves with loops of coloured beads and elders wear leopardskin capes. Nigel Pavitt, MBE, is the author of "Samburu".