South African photographer Shem Compion remembers precisely when his love affair with the Great Rift Valley began.
In 2002, in his twenties and in search of adventure, Compion saved what he could, sold what he didn’t need and bought a Land Rover. Together with a friend he hit the road and headed north. They wouldn’t return home for seven months.
Their journey was Compion’s first exposure to the Rift — also known as the East African Rift System — which carves its way 4,000 miles from Botswana and Mozambique in the south to Djibouti and the Red Sea in the north, and up into Jordan. Formed by tectonic plates slowly tearing apart, its valleys wend through 11 countries, growing inch by inch, until one day, many millions of years from now, the sea will begin to flood the land; a stark and beautiful reminder of the impermanence of all things.
On his road trip, Compion ventured to Nakuru, Kenya, where the land drops away and Lake Nakuru stretches out with enormous drifts of pink flamingos, framed by mountains in the distance. “That was quite a seminal moment,” he reflected. “It all came together for me right there.”
Compion, who trained in conservation and wildlife management, has operated safaris along the Rift while photographing its landscapes, wildlife and peoples for over 20 years. His portfolio has now been compiled into his seventh book and first art book, “The Rift: Scar of Africa,” a grand project that seeks to capture its awe and abundance.
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