FENCING

The Karamojong people in north-east Uganda build complex fence systems. They surround their huts and living areas with solid wooden fences, creating cells that are joined together to form honeycomb structures. The entrances are narrow and low, and the living area can only be entered from a crouched position. At night, the inhabitants close these entrances with bushes of thorny undergrowth, which they pull by their stems from the inside into the opening to seal it. These precautions are intended to protect the settlements from being overrun by strangers.