Exploiting Turkana

"e;Almost everything in Turkana is an emergency"e;Peter Lokoel, Deputy Govenor TurkanaModernity versus tradition; pressure on people and cultures; the potential for environmental catastrophe and private enterprises laying claim to the planet s natural resources all challenge Turkana. This is one of the world s poorest places, which just happens to sit atop what is believed to be one of the richest oil reserves in East Africa. Pulitzer grantee Jessica Hatcher s account clearly demonstrates how many of the most pressing problems faced by human beings in the twenty-first century coalesce in Turkana. Ironically this microcosm of humanity s challenging future is sited in the place that experts believe to be the birthplace of mankind.