Hans Johnson - New Life

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Recorded in Kenya, this traditional song is sung by a group of Maasai women asking the creator Enkai to bless them as they seek to have children.

Here we see some of the singers who started their own school to learn to read and write, as they were denied an education earlier in life. A school started by Maasai women, for Maasai women and run by Maasai women. They choose a schedule for classes that fits around their livelihoods. Despite having daily chores such as milking cows, cooking, cleaning, taking care of children, fetching water and firewood, they still find time to learn. In an ever changing world, the most common response I heard from them was that they saw their children going to school and learning, and they decided as a group that they would do the same!

They built the school by hand, using mud and dung plastered on sticks and dried grass interwoven on wooden posts. This is a tradition home building technique girls are taught by their mothers. Like song and dance, these are traditions passed down for centuries.

Video and music by Hans Johnson.

Thank you for listening!