Zablon, our location manager in Ethiopia, has revisited the South Omo valley following a drought in the region.

Series 2 of Tribe was filmed in southern Ethiopia from October to December 2005. A few months after the team returned home, we began to hear about a serious drought in the region. Our contacts in the area reported that cattle were dying and some villages were suffering.

In May 2006, our Ethiopian location manager Zablon Beyene returned to the three communities we had stayed with to assess the situation for himself, and to see if there was anything we could do to help. This is what he found.

“I was scared of what to expect in the Omo valley. Especially because of what we had heard about the drought’s effect on the people we had spent time with and become very much attached to.

“While I was in the Omo Valley area, I saw that there had been some rain. The landscape looked green and as it should be for the season.

“The first village I was able to visit was Bubua where we had filmed with the Dassanech people. I was so happy to meet Abanesh (Bruce’s host), Boto (the village healer), Niriye and Talew (two of the hunters) and most of the villagers. All were fine.

“What was more surprising was seeing that, instead of using the deep wells we saw when we were there, the Dassanech were getting water from really very shallow holes, from just under the surface of the sand, with much less effort compared to the time Bruce was with them - there was no need to dig the holes the night before and wait until the next morning to fetch water.

“More rains means more milk in the village, as the cattle will have grass to graze near the villages. I asked Abanesh if there was milk, and she said there was a lot. I felt the happiness the rain brought to the villagers though they certainly know another long, dry season is inevitable.

“Abanesh told me: “Yesterday I missed Bruce so much and I was looking at the photographs”. She opened up her box and showed me the Polaroid pictures of her and Bruce that we had given her before we left.

“I went to Argude, the Hamar village, feeling more positive. In the village I met almost all of Suri’s family, the boy whose cattle leap Bruce became part of. They were so happy to see me. The sorghum and maize fields next to the village looked great. They invited Bruce to come over as the harvest would be coming soon. Sadly Suri’s mum had passed away around the end of December. I felt like she had been only holding on until her son had jumped the cattle.

“Getting to Lokorlam, the Nyangatom village, was tricky. I waited for a couple of days as no one from the police was happy to escort us because of the rain and conflict between the Nyangatom and neighbouring Karo tribe. I could only think of Ajam whose only ambition is peace with all the neighbouring tribe. With all his determination to live in peace with all the tribes and a bit of support, I said to myself peace is possible.  Finally, I got a lift to the village where I met Ajam the chief and his wife, Nakua and the villagers. The dusty and dry landscape was green and the river Kibish full of water.

“Though few months have passed since Bruce was with the Nyangatom I saw that their memories of time spent with Bruce was still fresh. Ajam is still positive about the future, grateful for the rain, and he spoke to me about the conflict with the Karo. It’s something he obviously doesn’t enjoy but living with conflict is nothing new to him.”