After a couple of months we returned to Turkana to show the three families we'd stayed with their film. It took a few days in Lodwar to ready everything and then we were off with a pick-up heaving with generator, screen, speakers, food, tent and translator Lokale, who we were very happy to be reunited with.
In each place we arrived early in the day to catch up on news with the families (all were very well, if surprised that we had reappeared) and give enough time for the message about an evening screening to spread. Then we set up and waited for the audience to arrive.
First reactions when pictures of themselves, their families and their lives burst through the darkness ranged from shock to terror to hysterical delight. A few babies cried and many went completely silent in unshakeable concentration. We sat with Lokale who eavesdropped on our behalf.
One old woman, on a close-up of her husband's eyes as he began to tell the story of the lake, cried out, "What's that big-eyed animal?!", then as the camera panned out others gleefully told her. Seeing people watch other Turkana families they'd never met was fascinating: Erot's obvious wealth, seen in so many plump goats, was a standard observation; women admired other women at work and picked up new songs they heard sung, putting all the pieces together so that the next morning the whole thing had been memorised perfectly; young herdsboys ogled the pretty young Lolita character in her red wrap while one nasty old woman, on hearing the girl say, "When I am married..." scoffed, "You'll be lucky!" Most seemed proud to see themselves and in each place they agreed the films would make good stories to explain something to the rest of the world about the ways of the Turkana.
Finally, Nachukuli and Etukoit presented us with a goat, which we named Ebob (delicious) and requested be taken care of with the others until we return.
In each place we arrived early in the day to catch up on news with the families (all were very well, if surprised that we had reappeared) and give enough time for the message about an evening screening to spread. Then we set up and waited for the audience to arrive.
First reactions when pictures of themselves, their families and their lives burst through the darkness ranged from shock to terror to hysterical delight. A few babies cried and many went completely silent in unshakeable concentration. We sat with Lokale who eavesdropped on our behalf.
One old woman, on a close-up of her husband's eyes as he began to tell the story of the lake, cried out, "What's that big-eyed animal?!", then as the camera panned out others gleefully told her. Seeing people watch other Turkana families they'd never met was fascinating: Erot's obvious wealth, seen in so many plump goats, was a standard observation; women admired other women at work and picked up new songs they heard sung, putting all the pieces together so that the next morning the whole thing had been memorised perfectly; young herdsboys ogled the pretty young Lolita character in her red wrap while one nasty old woman, on hearing the girl say, "When I am married..." scoffed, "You'll be lucky!" Most seemed proud to see themselves and in each place they agreed the films would make good stories to explain something to the rest of the world about the ways of the Turkana.
Finally, Nachukuli and Etukoit presented us with a goat, which we named Ebob (delicious) and requested be taken care of with the others until we return.
