The Maasai (also called Masai) tribe is perhaps one of the most famous tribes in Africa, well-known for its distinctive culture and lifestyle that is still prevalent today. Numbering about 800,000, most of the Maasai live in Kenya and Tanzania. The Maasai are traditionally nomadic, herding cattle, and are very proud of their warriors, who protect the tribe and conquered the territories they roamed.
The Maasai have historically had an aversion to Western education, believing that this style of education will strip them of their culture, language, and traditions. During the period of British imperialism, many English schools were developed in Kenya and the Maasai were forced to attend. This disrupted their traditional lifestyle and caused great animosity between the British and the Maasai. As a result of this historical feud, very few Maasai felt the need to pursue a Western education after Kenya gained its independence. They chose instead to follow their traditional system of education and to practice their unique cultural ceremonies. Even after the government of Kenya instituted mandatory primary education for all, very few Maasai attended schools.
The current dilemma for the Maasai is how to retain their traditional culture in the face of modernization. The government, NGOs, and nonprofits are now searching for a way to use education to reconcile the differences between traditional Maasai culture and Western principles of education by creating “bicultural” educations models. These models teach modern skills, such as agricultural skills, along with traditional ideas. The theory behind this model is to allow students to embrace both systems by emphasizing the ways in which they can coexist and work together, rather than forcing them to choose between the two systems. Many of these schools incorporate instruction by teaches and tribal elders, and also place an ethical emphasis on developing students to be role models to future Maasai generations. Some Maasai leaders have argued that education does not require them to surrender to mainstream culture; rather they can change some aspects of their culture- such as the treatment of women and girls- to allow their traditions to thrive in the modern world.
Many organizations are now using this model and searching for ways to make education more affordable and accessible to the Maasai community. These areas are in great need of primary and secondary schools, as most are too expensive and too far away from rural communities. Families are also being encouraged to send girls, who in accordance with Maasai tradition often receive less education than boys, to school to obtain educations. Organizations such as the NGO Maasai Education Discovery, which has sponsored over 800 girls in 32 Kenyan schools since 2006, are working to resolve these gender disparities.
Blue Kitabu is currently building a schoolhouse for 50 children in a very remote Maasai community located in the Loita Hills of Kenya. The nearest school these children presently have access to is 10 miles away; thus very few children have had formal schooling. Blue Kitabu hopes to create a sustainable school supported by a corn mill, which will help offset some of the school’s operating costs. In developing necessary infrastructure, including finding and training educators, Blue Kitabu hopes to bring these two cultures together and help this community to have affordable and accessible education.
Sources:
Maasai Education Discovery (http://www.maasaieducation.org/maasai-culture/maasai-education.htm)
Worlds of Difference: a radio documentary project of Homeland Productions (http://homelands.org/worlds/maasai.html)
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