Rosemarie Di Blasio, Kenya 2011

On the 20th of July I departed from Rome. Destination: the National Park of Tsavo West (Kenya). Inexperienced in the field of overseas volunteer work and amateur of African adventures, I relied on a non-political, non-religious organisation, which operates on behalf of host-country partners, namely Global Vision International (GVI).

Environmental concerns have always been in the frontline of my interests, yet at the same time I do reckon there is need for survival in countries where hunger dictates the actions of communities. GVI’s Tsavo West Sustainable Development Program offered the perfect interweaving of the two: aiding local communities to develop new sustainable livelihoods, after they had abandoned poaching. Urged by need of meat, or demand for ivory, poaching has been one of the main threats to Africa’s dwindling Wildlife. The communities we visited with GVI (Mahandikini, Kasani Leopolosi and Kidong) however were solely incited by relentless hunger. Invited by the World Society for the Protection of Animals, the local villagers decided to take the risky decision of giving up poaching, and find secure alternative, sustainable livelihoods. In Mahandikini the project undertaken is that of stabilizing food security, with the construction of a Posho Mill and a Grain store, while in Kidong an eco-tourism centre will provide a source of income.

As a volunteer I equipped my backpack with gloves, working boots and the realization that the next two weeks would have been hard-working ones under the African sun. In Mahandikini and Kidong I, along with my volunteer companions, rat-proofed the Posho Mill, painted the doors of the Grain store, mudded the walls, changed the roof to the guest huts as well as also mudding those interiors too. At the end of the project I realized that the conservation of wildlife was indeed precious to the villagers, who enthusiastically rolled up their sleeves and worked hard and ceaselessly to see their sustainable projects functioning. Every evening we were lulled to bed (in our messy tents) by the crackling of the fire under the breath-taking sky, only to wake up by the same crackling sound of the fire and the joyous “Mambo?” (What’s Up?) of the villagers. Helping (for that was what we doing, not working) was not the only trademark of the project. The aspect that made the program the more memorable was the interaction with Kenyan culture and environment.

The list is long, possibly too long to fit in one page, but during our two weeks of work we were introduced to Kenya through the eyes of Kenyans. Among the natural jewels that the country nurses, we visited the enchanting, yet haunting Lake Challa, the bat caves; we climbed up to the Kidong Hill to contemplate the unforgiving savannah of Tsavo (thus appreciating the importance of the project to safeguard such infinite beauty), and we were often visited by the elephants. Being a footballer myself I genuinely enjoyed engaging in a football match with the local children of Mahandikini and Kasaani Leopolosi. Very timid at the beginning, the children did not hesitate at all at the sight of a proper football ball. Girls and boys alike, engaged enthusiastically in the game (often bare feet on Kenyan’s vicious, hard red soil). While playing I could easily perceive the importance of such a sport for this country: football has most often proved to be a beacon of light in desperate times. For this reason, along with the bulky suitcases packed with prejudices, we had also packed a suitcase with sports equipment, school books and games to distribute to the poor school structures we visited and with whom we played.

Interaction with the children, dancing the “Hokie Pokie” and playing football with them was not the only form of interaction. With the local elders we often shared community dinners, heartedly cooked by the women and discussions about the prospects of the projects. They would exhibit their beautiful costumes and hand-made jewels, while enjoying their local kitchen. Among the most indelible experiences I was blessed with, was meeting the Masai of Kasaani Leopolosi. Having spent the day there, much to their initial awe at our pale skin and blond hair (with which they enjoyed playing), we were invited for another community dinner. Under the bright starry night, sitting around the flames of a cozy fire, the Maasai’s narrated us the legends and stories of their people, while we, like old bards, recited the myths of the foundation of Rome, the adventures of Romulus and Remus. Led by Simon, the friendliest among the gorgeously adorned Maasai’s, the fascinating cross-cultural evening continued with the dances. The slender Maasai figures began jumping high up in the air, gracefully moving in lines, all to show us their typical dance. They soon invited us to try, and despite our subsequent failure they asked us to show them Western dances. Hence there we were under the Kenyan sky, in the middle of rural Kenya, dancing the Macarena with the Maasai. The following morning, that of departure from the village, they once more exhibited their great generosity by giving us their hand-made Maasai jewels, as tokens of remembrance. Necklaces or not, a cross-cultural evening like that is indelible in any case.

The Maasai is only one of the numerous tribes that make up Kenya. In Kidong another tribe, the Akamba tribe warmly welcomed us with their own dances, waving their hands in our direction. The villagers of Kidong, notorious (now former) poachers, introduced us to their way of life, the way their forefathers lived before modernism settled in. They showed us poaching techniques, the games they created out of nature, the medicines they were able to make out of plants, their traditional costumes and instruments (and they also taught us how to make Chapatis!). No museum, not even the ethnographic museum of Nairobi, which we later visited could have bestowed us with a more vivid and honest picture of Kenyan lifestyle. Kidong was also the village where we saw changes and hopeful prospects for the future. We shared the same patch of nature with Kenya Wildlife Service Rangers, and one day during their usual and numerous excursions in the Savannah to capture illegal poachers, they returned on their green military jeep with 9 poachers arrested, who were responsible for the death of 5 giraffes, and numerous other small game animals. The scene was quite exciting and important for us because it showed us that many Kenyans were actually fighting against this illegal market. Journalists and news crews came to our camp to interview the KWS rangers and to report the onslaught of avariciousness that threatens Kenyan Wildlife. (For more information an article in the Nairobi Star features this event:  http://allafrica.com/stories/201106300090.html). Our efforts in working with the communities to establish their new alternative, sustainable livelihood thus did not prove fruitless.

The two weeks in Kenya characterised by daily blisters, bruises and sore backs have indeed been an extraordinary experience, which has aided me to shatter the prejudice of hopeless Africa. I have been given the incredible chance to interact with locals, to work side by side with them, to learn about the hardships they endure. I was shown the real, honest picture of Kenya (at least as far as the Tsavo Region is concerned), and have learned to embrace this culture, far away from my own. What I am sure of now is that this is my path. I will pack my backpacks again, much lighter this time, to appreciate and mingle with other communities, whose image is too often tainted by the Westerners’ eyes.