B (3:40)

Where I come from, we greet people. How are you? How are the children? How are the cattle? Is it raining? So, how are you? How are the children? How are the cattle? Do you have cattle? Do you have moose? Mees mooses?

C (3:57)

No.

A (3:58)

Okay.

B (4:00)

Is it raining, though, here? I think you should ask for sun. So, yeah. So I went to Turkana in 2014 to make a film. Turkana is in the northernmost part of Kenya, and the people there have been marginalized for so long that they don't identify as Kenyans. Post independence policies had focused all the resources of the new country in the agriculturally rich south. But now, with the discovery of oil, Kenya was laying claim to Turkana. Just one generation before, my family was compelled by the twin forces of modernity and colonialism to transition away from a life of nomadic pastoralism. My grandfather would still tell stories of wandering up and down the Rift Valley with their animals that seemed so far removed from the life we live now. And he would be like, this is you pointing to pictures of Maasai people in full traditional regalia. And I was like, no, no, no. Those are the guys who live in National Geographic. So we went into the project believing that people wanted a fair share of the oil revenues, which they did, but they wanted so much more. They wanted water and security to continue with their pastoralist way of life because it was part of their culture and identity. This forced us to think of new ways of being in the world that we hadn't previously considered. I'm going to talk about how our work in Trukana taught us to creatively collaborate, and then how that taught us to come together, share revenues and share our humanity. Trukana is organized in units called ere, which have rights to particular grazing points and watering lands. And this is more like a custodianship than an ownership. And it had led organizations on the ground to think of new sharing models that were based on the culture, rather than copy pasting from economies that had been doing this for longer. So instead of putting all the resources into our documentary, which could be made by literally three people, we decided to make something bigger that could bring in many more artists. So we brought together 10 artists, five from Nairobi and five from Trukana, and embarked on a tour of the county. We went to the oil fields in the south and danced with an Edonga group in Nakukulas. We went to Trukana Basin Institute and saw fossils that were millions of years old. We went to Central island and visited tilapia, crocodile and flamingo lakes. We went swimming in Lake Turkana under a full moon that made the lake look like milk. We were sure that the crocodiles stayed on their side and the people stayed in their sight. And anyway, there was the rule of 10. If 10 of you were swimming, there's only a 10% chance you'd be eaten by a crocodile. We went to a cattle kraal near the River Tuckwell and slept on hides on the ground. It suddenly made so much sense to me why we greet the way we do. How are you? How are the children? How are the cattle? Is it raining? Those had been the essential elements of our lives for generations. Without cattle, we would not survive. Without the rain, the cattle would not survive without descendants who would tell our stories. When we were gone, I felt a deep connection with my grandfather. In fact, we all came out of that journey profoundly moved. Perhaps it was lying down on the sand and watching the flights to Europe and the Middle east passed overhead and thinking that this was the same path our human ancestors took tens of thousands of years ago to populate the earth. Perhaps it was opening up yourself to the moment in the place where we first evolved connection, cooperation, compassion, the very things we define as humanity. So we started to make work from that basis and our shared experiences, plus the new discoveries, made work that exceeded our individual capabilities. From our first project, it's called the Flyest Wedding in Africa. And we imagined what the clothes would look like if we took from what we had seen, rather than, you know, white dresses and taxes. And this is our second project. It's called Floating Flying. We shot it in and around Lake Trukana, which is one of our biggest sources of inspiration. And we imagined a muse who was also a guardian of the lake. So what we learned is that through collaboration, we align with higher values. The false notion that we can harm others or even our planet without harming ourselves cannot stand true connectedness and participation in something greater than ourselves contribute immensely to happiness, self worth, and reaffirm our humanity. This is our third photo series. It's called Oil and Milk and we are the land of milk. So we were imagining the effect that oil would have on our way of life. And this is our first foray into music. Elizabeth and Eddie Gray and we did this during the Pandemic. So we're not expecting much, but it has turned out to be our most beloved and successful project to date. So with this work under our belt, we started to look for an agent so that we could showcase their work. And they were like, who's the artist? And we were like, all of us. And they were like, I can't sell that. So we built our own platform, the Nomadic Arts Festival, to continue this work and to continue sharing with so many more artists and bringing in ancient and contemporary art forms. We will close today with two songs created for the inaugural edition of the festival. Elloto is a young woman's plea not to be married off to a man she doesn't love and Aceh Care is a celebration of our home region. Thank you. It. Sam sa.

C (12:34)

Kariga jalaga.

A (14:00)

I know that you. Know.

B (14:58)

Jesus.

A (15:54)

It's sam. That was Jackie Lebo, followed by Elizabeth Corycal and Eddie Gray at TED 2025. If you're curious about TED's curation, find out more@ted.com curationguidelines and that's it for today. TED Talks Daily is part of the TED Audio Collective. This talk was fact checked by the TED Research team and produced and edited by our team, Martha Estefanos, Oliver Friedman, Brian Greene, Lucy Little and Tansika Songmanivong. This episode was mixed by Christopher Faizy Bogan. Additional support from Emma Tobner and Daniela Balaurazo. I'm Elise Hu. I'll be back tomorrow with a fresh idea for your feed. Thanks for listening. Foreign.

C (17:55)

This episode is brought to you by Capital One. Capital One's tech team isn't just talking about multi agentic AI. They already deployed one. It's called Chat Concierge and it's simplifying car shopping using self reflection and layered reasoning with live API checks. It doesn't just help buyers find a car they love. It helps schedule a test drive, get pre approved for financing and estimate trade in value. Advanced, intuitive and deployed. That's how they stack. That's technology at Capital One.

D (18:29)

Rediscover skin that looks as vibrant as you feel. Medikaid is a British clinical skincare brand trusted by Dermatologists for visible aged defying results without compromise. And right now is the best time of the year to try it. Medicaite's 30% off during their Black Friday Sale if you've been curious about retinal, start with Medicaite's Crystal Retinal Night Serum. It's award winning, ultra gentle and proven to work 11 times faster than traditional retinol, smoothing wrinkles, brightening dark spots and firming skin without irritation. Or try the fan favorite Liquid Peptide Serum, clinically proven to smooth fine lines in just seven days. And if you want that lifted, deeply hydrated feel, Medicaite's newest innovation, Advanced Pro Collagen Plus Peptide Cream, delivers visibly rejuvenated skin while reducing wrinkles. This is the moment to elevate your routine. Medicaid's 30% off Black Friday sale is happening now through Tuesday, December 2nd. Visit Medicaid US that's Medik8US and save 30% on age defying skincare this holiday.

C (19:43)

Season, millions of families will pack their bags, load up the car, and head off for a family vacation. But not every trip is going to be somewhere fun. The American Red Cross responds to about 7,000 emergencies during the holiday season alone, from home fires to natural disasters, providing families a safe place to go when the unthinkable happens. But they can't do it without your support. Please donate@redcross.org.