Lifestyle
Warriors: Maasai men fighting child marriage and FGM through cricket
Due to the cultural traditions ingrained in the Maasai through their elders, such as child marriage and FGM, the female Maasai are unable to speak out or initiate change. Here is where the beautiful young men, modern and passionate in their views, bid to end these forms of cruelty enforced in their culture by forming a cricket team
Warriors, a stunning portrayal showing a group of young men from the famous Maasai Warrior Tribe of Mount Kenya who are devoted to giving the women of their tribe a voice against the cruelty of FGM, child marriage, the risks of HIV/AIDS and equal rights for education.
It tells a beautiful story of courage, determination, passion and female rights activism. These young men are protecting their daughters, sisters, nieces, wives and mothers in a way that you do not see actively reported in the media. They are showing their elders that they are significant and their voices should be respected as the future of the tribe.
With the help of their female cricket coach, they get invited to play the renowned Last Man Standing cricket tournament at Lords in London; a dream come true for the team.
Captain, Sonyanga Ole Ngais bowls. Photo: Warriors Website
Sonyanga’s father. Photo: Warriors Website
Maasai Warrior Sonyanga Oleng’ais said: “In our society, the women or the girls are treated as inferior, and it’s no good. That is something we have to change. We are not saying we abandon all our good culture, only the harmful practices such as female genital mutilation. It is very hard to go against the elders, but cricket is giving us that courage, and that confidence. We are very proud of what it means to be Maasai and that is why we play in our traditional robes.”
The film has received 4-star reviews from both Empire and Total Film. It has also been selected for the prestigious United Nations Cinema film screenings programme in Europe for world issues in early 2016, to support their mandate of promoting sport for peace and development.
45% of any profit from the film is going back to a trust in the Maasai community, which will be used to create an education centre for young people in the region, where they will learn about their health, their rights, and cricket! As part of this, the #WakeTheLion campaign was created, encouraging people from all over the globe to share their stories of how sport has changed their life, bound a community together, or even given them renewed confidence.
Festivals & Premiere Screenings:
31st October – Kenyan Premiere: Out of Africa Film Festival, Nairobi, Kenya
11th November – Leeds International Film Festival
13th November – UK Premiere: Picturehouse Central London
Source: ar:pr
Watch the trailer below:
[iframe id=”https://player.vimeo.com/video/142869334″ mode=”normal”]
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