Posted on Thursday, July 21, 2005 1:25 PM
For the first time I felt nausea while editing. That was when I was compiling the feature on the killings of 22 children in the Turbi massacre in Kenya. Members of the Borana tribe came and attacked the Gabbra villagers. Usually these raids are about cattle, farm land or water. This time the people of Turbi were sure that they were after their lives only. It was 6.30 in the morning when a school was attacked. Some pupils managed to run away, but were captured in their homes and slaughtered. When filming a pool of blood and the red stains on the wall, and while interviewing the witnesses, my feelings seem somehow to slow down. I don't know how, but I learned they will come. What struck me most was the 2-year-old girl that was admitted in the Marsabit hospital. Both her legs were pierced by a spear, and the raiders killed her mother. From previous experiences I learned that you have to keep your emotions alive on the spot. So I chose to play with the child a bit, and try to let her smile. Hopefully the reports I make will cause some reaction for the good. At least more then nausea.
The report is online at
http://www.frame51.com/turbius.wmvIt is narrated in Dutch and subtitled in English