A Mursi Village – But For How Long?
The Mursi face problems of far greater consequence than exposure to tourism and it would be fair to say that their very existence is threatened. The Mursi and other tribes of the Southern Nations Nationalities and People's Region (SNNPR) have no government representation and its people are mostly illiterate. Their lifestyle lags that of the rest of the country by centuries, if not a millennium.
Until 2005, the Mursi lived to the northeast of their current location, in the Nech Sar National Park in the crater lake region of the Great Rift Valley. The Mursi claim the Ethiopian's National Park service forced them to leave this land by persuading them to sign documents they did not understand.
To make matters worse, their current home in the Mago National Park is now also threatened. The Ethiopian government, with the investment of Italian and Chinese firms, is building a large hydroelectric dam on the Omo River. The Omo and Mago rivers flow through the lands of the Mursi as well as the other tribes in the lower Omo Valley. It is unclear whether sufficient water will remain downstream and whether their agriculture, which depends on seasonal flooding of the river, will continue to be feasible.
Yet another threat is the recent discovery of oil in the region. The Chinese were quick to invest and have already installed a helicopter pad and facilities for drilling. By accident, we trespassed this land and were escorted off under gun surveillance. As a final insult, the Ethiopian government is contracting much of the land in this southwestern corner of the country for industrial scale farming by corporations from Malaysia, India and Israel. This farming will be supported by water harvested from the new dam on the Omo River.
The tribal people of the lower Omo Valley are uneducated, have no government representation and appear to be disdained by their country and its citizens. Their way of life is out of sync with the rest of the world. I wonder how long they will continue to exist.
A Mursi village in the Mago National Park, Ethiopia
A Mursi Village – But For How Long?
The Mursi face problems of far greater consequence than exposure to tourism and it would be fair to say that their very existence is threatened. The Mursi and other tribes of the Southern Nations Nationalities and People's Region (SNNPR) have no government representation and its people are mostly illiterate. Their lifestyle lags that of the rest of the country by centuries, if not a millennium.
Until 2005, the Mursi lived to the northeast of their current location, in the Nech Sar National Park in the crater lake region of the Great Rift Valley. The Mursi claim the Ethiopian's National Park service forced them to leave this land by persuading them to sign documents they did not understand.
To make matters worse, their current home in the Mago National Park is now also threatened. The Ethiopian government, with the investment of Italian and Chinese firms, is building a large hydroelectric dam on the Omo River. The Omo and Mago rivers flow through the lands of the Mursi as well as the other tribes in the lower Omo Valley. It is unclear whether sufficient water will remain downstream and whether their agriculture, which depends on seasonal flooding of the river, will continue to be feasible.
Yet another threat is the recent discovery of oil in the region. The Chinese were quick to invest and have already installed a helicopter pad and facilities for drilling. By accident, we trespassed this land and were escorted off under gun surveillance. As a final insult, the Ethiopian government is contracting much of the land in this southwestern corner of the country for industrial scale farming by corporations from Malaysia, India and Israel. This farming will be supported by water harvested from the new dam on the Omo River.
The tribal people of the lower Omo Valley are uneducated, have no government representation and appear to be disdained by their country and its citizens. Their way of life is out of sync with the rest of the world. I wonder how long they will continue to exist.
A Mursi village in the Mago National Park, Ethiopia