Steve McCurry: Omo Valley, Ethiopia

Kara tribe

Steve Mccurry’s Children of the Omo

The Omo River Valley is located in Southwest Ethiopia.It has been called “the last frontier” in Africa. There are nine main tribes that occupy the Omo River Valley, with a population of approximately 225,000 tribal peoples. The majority of the people living in the Omo River Valley live without clean drinking water and without medical care.

Kara tribe

Hamer tribe

It has been a privilege to go back to the Omo Valley in Ethiopia with my friend, John Rowe, to photograph the work he is doing with Lale Labuko in their mission to end the practice of mingi and to house and shelter the mingi children who have already been rescued.

(Steve McCurry)

Lale Labuko. Lale, a 2013 National Geographic Emerging Explorer, learned about the practice of Mingi and made it his life’s mission to end ritual infanticide in his tribe’s culture.

John Rowe and Friends. I met John in Burma. He is a photographer and successful businessman who has founded companies which develop software for digital media and the entertainment industry. He has also devoted a tremendous amount of time, energy, and financial assistance to the work of Omo Child.

To learn more about Lale and John and OmoChild, please visit:

http://omochild.org/

Kara tribe

Mingi is the ritualistic killing of infants and children who are Mingi because they are considered impure or cursed.A child can be mingi for many reasons, but once they are mingi they areleft alone in the desert without food and water or drowned in a river.

MingiMany of the tribes of the remote Omo Valley in Southwest Ethiopia live a peaceful and pastoral lifestyle. However, fear and superstition still exist in the valley. Some of the tribes believe evil spirits or a “curse” will bring ill fortune (drought, famine, disease and death) to their villages if Mingi children are not killed.

Because tribal elders believe Mingi children’s presence on the land curses the tribe, they have mandated the killing of all Mingi children. The practice was recently ended in the Kara tribe, due in large part to the efforts of Lale Labuko and Omo Child. Unfortunately, Mingi is still practiced by the Hamer tribe.

A child can be declared Mingi for the following reasons — Teeth Mingi, Girl Mingi, Woman Mingi and Twin Mingi. Being declared Mingi almost always means death of the child. The tribe will leave the child alone in the bush without food and water or will drown the child in the river.

One of our goals at Omo Child is to stop the tribal practice of Mingi. We believe that we can achieve this by providing education and humanitarian support to the rescued children and their tribes.

Girl MingiBabies born out of wedlock are labeled Mingi by tribal elders. Expensive dowries are required to marry which leaves many couples unable to afford marriage. Once their babies are born, they may be declared Mingi

Woman MingiWhen couples are married but do not have their marriage or pregnancy approved, their babies could be declared Mingi.

Teeth MingiChildren that get their top teeth before their bottom teeth, or if they have chipped a baby tooth, may be declared Mingi by tribal elders.

Twin MingiThe birth of twins is perceived as a curse and both babies may be declared Mingi.

Kara tribe

Kara tribe

The hope is that the rescued children will be future leaders in their communities and will help raise awareness to help advocate the ending of the tribal practice of mingi.

Hamer tribe

Surma tribe

Surma tribe

Surma tribe

Surma tribe

Surma tribe

Kara tribe

Kara tribe

Steve McCurry with members of the Surma tribe

Steve McCurry Omo Valley: To Save a Child

end

cast Steve McCurry: Omo Valley, Ethiopia

images credit   www.          

Music Yanni Rainmaker            created   o.e.

thanks for watching

Steve McCurry in the Omo Valley