"I was looking for an image to show the routine way that guns are used in Turkana district, Kenya, when two herders obliged by walking along the rim of a water pan (reservoir). Both men are carrying their AK47s and head-stools, and - typically for the Turkana - are wearing little more than a jacket and a hat. The high contrast of the silhouettes removes distracting details of colour and texture, and draws attention to the outline of the weapons.

Oxfam campaigns for tougher controls on the trade in small arms. For the Turkana, the gun has been a curse. Traditions of cattle raiding continue, and the use of guns in place of spears has brought carnage. But weapons are essential to the Turkana as long as their enemies across the Ugandan, Sudanese and Ethiopian borders are armed. This water pan at Naanya was constructed with Oxfam support, in part to reduce the need for the Turkana to move across the border into Uganda for water. During my visit the men were protecting the cattle and women drawing water from occasional raids by their Ugandan neighbours.

Oxfam is active in supporting long-term peace work in Turkana district, and with neighbouring herding groups in Uganda and Ethiopia. Only when there is mutual security and trust will the gun be set aside."