People We Met

People We Met

Even more amazing than the animals and the scenery were the people of Kenya and Tanzania.

First we have to acknowledge our amazing Safari Guides, Njoroge (a.ka. Jackson) and Alex. Jackson is a native Kenyan; Alex has lived there for eighteen years. They were wise, funny, unflagging and indulgent with us and we love them very much.

These are Samburu elders. (The Samburu are essentially the same people as the Maasai.)These elders explained to us how they wanted their tribal society to evolve, but not be destroyed by the outside world. It's such a delicate balance. One thing that was obvious to us all was that the key to positive change was understanding and respect for each others' traditions.

This is another Samburu elder. Unfortunately, he is not as old as he seems. He is undoubtedly suffering from AIDS or TB or both. Nevertheless, he was incredibly sweet and welcoming to us. Although Kenya is not as badly effected as some parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, the rate of HIV infection is still probably around 25%. AIDS education efforts are present, but changing sexual behaviour is hard, especially when sexual practices are so ingrained with tribal ritual and custom.

These are Samburu children. They were gathered together for "school". It is very hard for them to get to a more formal school. Most of the children in this tribe do not have shoes and the thorns that cover the ground make it virtually impossible for them to walk the long distance to school barefoot.

These are slightly older girls from the same tribe. They are performaing a dance to entice the warriors (morani) in the circle behind them. Although men and women seem to share the general workload pretty evenly, women still have virtually no power in Maasai and Samburu society.

However, things are beginning to change. Look at all these girls in school! School is expensive for families in Kenya and some tribes aren't at all sure that education is a good thing. We wonder what changes these educated young women will initiate in the years to come.

This is Diana, our guide in a Maasai village. Diana is an excellent example of the "between the worlds" existance lived by many educated young Maasai. Although Diana was well educated for eight years in a church boarding school, she was still married off at 17 to a young man in this village. She speaks of how hard the adjustment has been. It was clear to us just how hard it still is for her and we wonder if she will choose to remain here.

On a lighter note, we'd thought you'd like to meet the Air Traffic Control Team at the Manyara (Tanzania) airport! Yup, this is all of them. No, there is no tower. But there is a big book. If you look closely, you can see that the cover says "Daily Landings."

	These are Samburu elders. (The Samburu are essentially the same people as the Maasai.)These elders explained to us how they wanted their tribal society to evolve, but not be destroyed by the outside world. It's such a delicate balance. One thing that was obvious to us all was that the key to positive change was understanding and respect for each others' traditions.
This is another Samburu elder. Unfortunately, he is not as old as he seems. He is undoubtedly suffering from AIDS or TB or both. Nevertheless, he was incredibly sweet and welcoming to us. Although Kenya is not as badly effected as some parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, the rate of HIV infection is still probably around 25%. AIDS education efforts are present, but changing sexual behaviour is hard, especially when sexual practices are so ingrained with tribal ritual and custom.
	These are Samburu children. They were gathered together for "school". It is very hard for them to get to a more formal school. Most of the children in this tribe do not have shoes and the thorns that cover the ground make it virtually impossible for them to walk the long distance to school barefoot.
These are slightly older girls from the same tribe. They are performaing a dance to entice the warriors (morani) in the circle behind them. Although men and women seem to share the general workload pretty evenly, women still have virtually no power in Maasai and Samburu society.
	However, things are beginning to change. Look at all these girls in school! School is expensive for families in Kenya and some tribes aren't at all sure that education is a good thing. We wonder what changes these educated young women will initiate in the years to come.
This is Diana, our guide in a Maasai village. Diana is an excellent example of the "between the worlds" existance lived by many educated young Maasai. Although Diana was well educated for eight years in a church boarding school, she was still married off at 17 to a young man in this village. She speaks of how hard the adjustment has been. It was clear to us just how hard it still is for her and we wonder if she will choose to remain here.
	On a lighter note, we'd thought you'd like to meet the Air Traffic Control Team at the Manyara (Tanzania) airport! Yup, this is all of them. No, there is no tower. But there is a big book. If you look closely, you can see that the cover says "Daily Landings."