Barren Lands. Terre Aride.

In northwestern Kenya, in North Horr, alpinist and storyteller Hervé Barmasse travels across a land where climate change and water scarcity are reshaping every balance.

The journey portrays the life of pastoral communities, their vital bond with livestock, and an increasingly fragile environment, where human health and survival are tested every day.

A direct and authentic perspective that also becomes an act of giving back to these arid lands and the people who inhabit them - where Amref Health Africa works daily to bring health and hope.

Film Informations

Written and Directed by: Hervé Barmasse (@hervebarmasse)
Produced by: Amref Health Africa (@amref_italia)
with the support of the Italian Buddhist Union (@unionebuddhistaitaliana)
Cinematography: Alessandro Beltrame, Giacomo Berthet
Editing: Giacomo Berthet
Music: Tudor Laurini
Sound Mixing: Francesco Ippolito
Color Correction: Diego Diaz
Final Mix: Massimo Mariani for FullCode
Special thanks to: OffiCine–IED
Distribution: L’Eubage (@l.eubage.produzioni)
Cast: Hervé Barmasse, Robe Wario, Boru Jillo, Wata
Running Time: 20 minutes
Year: 2026
Languages: Italian, Gabra, Swahili, English

The Director's statement

The land is arid, and so are the prospects for those who live under the scorching breath of one of the driest regions of the Horn of Africa. Yet the heart of a mother longing for a better future for her children is anything but dry. Nor are the tears of a herder mourning the loss of livestock - the most vital economic resource for agro‑pastoral communities. And hope, too, is not arid: the hope of those who, despite the harsh and devastating conditions imposed by the climate crisis in this region, still believe that change is possible.

This film is an invitation to reflection, an exercise in empathy, and a call to look beyond the boundaries of our own lives. Because it is only in the silence of our thoughts that we can truly grasp the strength of these people and the challenges they face each day with determination.

This is what I gathered on a journey driven by a single desire: to give voice to those who are too often forgotten.