Jackie Lebo: An Art Movement Rooted in Ancestral Wisdom and Turkana Culture

The Turkana Experience

• 🌍 The speaker, filmmaker Jackie Lebo, recounts her journey to Turkana, a remote region in northern Kenya, where the discovery of oil disrupted traditional pastoralist life.
• 🔑 Traditional greetings like "How are you? How are the children? How are the cattle? Is it raining?" highlight the essential elements of life and survival for the Turkana people.
• 💡 The community's desire was not just for oil revenues but for water and security to maintain their pastoralist way of life, which is deeply tied to their culture and identity.

Creative Collaboration and New Models

• 🤝 The project involved ten artists, five from Nairobi and five from Turkana, who embarked on a tour of the county, visiting diverse locations from oil fields to ancient fossil sites.
• 🎨 This collaborative approach led to the creation of art projects like "The Flyest Wedding in Africa" and "Floating, Flying," which draw inspiration from Turkana's environment and culture.
• 💡 New sharing models were developed, based on Turkana's cultural concept of "Ere" (custodianship of grazing and watering lands), rather than adopting external economic models.

Rediscovering Humanity and Connection

• 🌌 Experiences like sleeping on hides near the River Turkwel and observing migratory flight paths evoked a profound sense of connection to ancestral journeys and the origins of humanity.
• ✨ The journey emphasized the importance of connection, cooperation, and compassion, defining core aspects of our shared humanity.
• 💖 The realization that harming others or the planet ultimately harms ourselves underscores the value of true connectedness and participation in something greater than oneself.

The Nomadic Arts Festival

• 🖼️ The art series "Oil + Milk" explored the potential impact of oil on their way of life, while a musical project featuring Elizabeth Korikel and Eddie Gray became a beloved success.
• 🚀 Facing challenges in finding an agent for collaborative work, the artists built their own platform, the Nomadic Arts Festival, to showcase their work and foster artistic exchange.
• 🎶 The festival features ancient and contemporary art forms, including songs like "Eloto" (a plea against forced marriage) and "Ateker" (a celebration of their home region).