Elizabeth Korkel

Turkana beading artist, performer and entrepreneur from Kamarase Village near Lokichar in Turkana South. A member of Turkana Sessions, she uses music and performance to share community stories and sang in the group’s TED Countdown Summit 2025 performance.

Turkana Sessions Uses Repetition Instead of Lyric Translation

Turkana Sessions’ TED performance centers on Elizabeth Korkel’s Turkana-language singing, using repeated lines and returning phrases rather than translation or spoken explanation to orient listeners. Recorded at the TED Countdown Summit in Nairobi, the performance is presented as a tour through the soundscape of northwest Kenya, with Eddie Grey on guitar; its setting provides context without assigning a meaning to lyrics the record leaves untranslated.

TEDAug 22, 20263 min read