Remarkable Photos Show the People, Places, and Wildlife of the Great Rift Valley in Africa

by · Peta Pixel

Award-winning South African photographer Shem Compion‘s latest photography book, “The Rift: Scar of Africa,” features nearly 300 photos from Compion’s more than 20 years of exploring and photographing the Great Rift Valley in Africa.

The Great Rift Valley is nearly 4,000 miles (approximately 6,400 kilometers) long and runs from southern Turkey in Asia through the Red Sea to Mozambique in Southeast Africa. This “scar” across the Earth’s surface was created 25 million years ago by volcanic activity and has shaped the countless lives of people and animals alike along its length.

Elephant feeding across the plains are mostly seeking out Acacia seedlings and in turn help maintain the open grasslands of the Serengeti/Mara ecosystems. | © Shem Compion
Maasai living in the shadow of the active Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano consider it the ‘Mountain of God’ due its frequent changes in shape and color from eruptions. | © Shem Compion
The vertical rise of the Simien Mountains in Ethiopia has led to incredibly high bird and mammal endemism. Gelada monkeys, Ethiopian wolf, and Walia Ibex are all endemic to Ethiopia and found across the Simiens. | © Shem Compion
Leopards are common in the Okavango Delta, Botswana especially in woodlands adjacent to floodplains, and they can be seen often. | © Shem Compion
The Erta Ale volcano in northern Ethiopia mid-splitting point between the Arabian, Somalian and African tectonic plates, marking the start of the rift in Africa. | © Shem Compion
Famed for its monolithic churches hand-carved from solid rock, Lalibela is a holy site for Ethiopian Christians, with the most famous being the cruciform church of St. George (right). Architectural marvels and approximately 800 years old, all 11 churches are kept active by former monks and priests who ensure their longevity. The entire site is culturally significant, and pilgrims travel from across the country to pay homage here. | © Shem Compion
Large Winterthorn trees provide forage for elephant along the Zambezi River in Mana Pools, Zimbabwe. | © Shem Compion
Victoria Falls is Africa’s greatest waterfall. A subtle shift in tectonics some five million years ago diverted rivers over the falls and down the Zambezi, creating the magnificent falls. | © Shem Compion

Compion’s book combines decades of stunning photography — more than 280 images in total — and written contributions from Jonathan and Angela Scott, Ngwatilo Mawiyoo, Professor Donald Johanson, His Excellency Hailemariam Desalegn and more. The photos showcase a diverse range of subjects, including landscapes, people, and wildlife, ranging from Ethiopia to Mozambique. In total, over 20 anthropologists, historians, scientists, conservationists, and other experts have contributed to the book’s text.

Photographer Shem Compion

“25 million years is but a brief moment to change the world. But that’s what the phenomena that sheared Africa apart and created the Rift Valley has done, creating the world’s most diverse mammal abundance, shaping a spectacular landscape and serving as the birthplace of humanity,” says Compion. “I would argue that no other geographical feature has influenced the world as much.”

Compion began exploring Africa’s Great Rift Valley with his camera back in 2002. Over the many years since, the photographer has captured countless color and black-and-white photos in the region. Although the photographer has published many books featuring work in Africa, “The Rift” includes many never-before-seen images.

Mursi men prepare for a stick fight in the Omo Valley of Ethiopia, which in this case gathered 1500 people. | © Shem Compion
Flamingos take flight over Lake Logipi in Kenya. | © Shem Compion
Samburu detail. Beadwork is used across the valley for various purposes. It is more than function. The design is art. | © Shem Compion
A salt caravan treks along an eight-day ancient trading route to collect salt carved from a dry sea bed. The Afar region of Ethiopia is considered one of the harshest places to live on planet Earth. | © Shem Compion
On the eastern arc of the Rift, mountain gorillas are confined to the Virunga volcano complex that extends over the borders of DRC, Uganda and Rwanda. | © Shem Compion
A camel caravan marches through the Afar region in Ethiopia. They are following an ancient salt trade route, walking four days each way to collect and sell salt slabs. | © Shem Compion
Pangolins are highly sought after by poachers across Africa. Gorongosa’s Pangolin Project receives poached pangolins from the reserve and surrounding areas brought in by rangers. These animals are often malnourished and dehydrated. The project nurtures them back to health, monitors them, and eventually releases them back into the wild. The success of the project relies on strong community engagement, who in turn have reported many poachers. Over 100 pangolins have been released into the wild since 2018. | © Shem Compion
Body-painting is a way of expressing identity, as much as it is an ethnography of the Suri culture and traditions. Great care is taken when applying the clay to ensure correct identity is maintained. | © Shem Compion
Elephants march across the dry Lake Amboseli in Kenya. The water they seek is glacier meltwater from Kilimanjaro, which springs up on the lower slopes of the mountain. Kilimanjaro is the largest mountain in Africa. | © Shem Compion
Being a large wilderness, lion numbers in the Okavango Delta are healthy. This means there’s fierce competition for leadership roles. Strong competition results in strong genetic hereditary, strengthening the gene pool, an indirect benefit of large wilderness areas. | © Shem Compion
An oxpecker uses hair gleaned from a buffalo to line its nest in a burnt tree stump in the Maasai Mara, Kenya. Ecosystem symbiosis is everywhere in nature. | © Shem Compion

“With stunning photos and compelling text, this important book not only captures the complexities of the Rift Valley’s ecosystems, but it also emphasizes the urgent need for conservation efforts that combine science and compassion,” Dr. Jane Goodall DBE said before her recent passing.

“The Rift Valley — cracked, ancient, awe-inspiring — is both metaphor and map. A reminder that what seems like rupture can also be the beginning of something new. This book is a gift. Not only to those who will hold it in their hands, but to all of us who are looking for something solid to hold on to. Let it remind us: the ground beneath us is sacred. And the future is still ours to shape,” adds Sabrina Dhwore Elba, UN Goodwill Ambassador for the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). Elba has also contributed expertise to the book.

‘The Rift: Scar of Africa’ by Shem Compion is available now for $95 (£75 / €83 / ZAR 1,897.50)

Shem Compion’s latest book, “The Rift: Scar of Africa,” is available now for $95.

Image credits: Photos by Shem Compion https://www.shemimages.com/