maasai+performance

[|maasai performance] =Maasai School Performances September through November 2009=

**__PERFORMANCE DATE: NOV. 4TH, '09 - 10:00 AM @ CHARLESTOWN, H.S.

INS TRUCTIONS: __** //I. READ THE FOLLOWING LETTER 2. SEE THE PERFORMANCE. 3. DRAFT YOUR QUESTIONS & OPINIONS IN "MICROSOFT WORD'. a. **Selelct, Copy, Save** 4 CLICK **DISCUSSION** 5. GO TO **__POST MESSAG__E** & **PASTE** //

Dear Friend,

I am pleased to share with you information about SIMOO, a community-based Maasai organization in Kenya whose representatives will be visiting the United States this fall.

SIMOO will be touring schools to share Maasai knowledge and way of life with interested groups, individuals, and institutions of learning in New England from October 26th through November 4th, 2009. SIMOO will also be touring other areas throughout the United States from September to November 2009.

The four representatives of SIMOO bring their culture to life through song, dance, and discussion in their performances, which can be adapted to meet the interest of all age levels. They discuss the essential role of cattle and pastoralism for the Maasai, along with women’s issues and rites of passage. Students greatly benefit from their insights on self- governance, emphasis on the family, and harmony with nature.

SIMOO is an acronym for Simba Maasai Outreach Organization, founded in 1999 by Francis Ole Sakuda who was inspired to empower his Maasai community to develop their own resources on their own terms.

SIMOO uses funding from their performances abroad to improve the standards of living for the poorest Maasai community members and provides educational opportunities to those in greatest need (see page 4).

Because of the interdisciplinary nature of their performances, SIMOO’s performances are especially relevant to African studies, women’s studies, political science, and anthropology. Performances are geared towards the ages of the audience (elementary school through college). We invite you to take this opportunity to host a SIMOO performance at your school and support SIMOO’s exciting work.

Please contact us if you have questions, would like to discuss the cost/donation of a performance, or would like additional information, pictures, and references about the group. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Dave Favreau

2 ABOUT SIMOO

Simba Masaai Outreach Organization (SIMOO) is a well-respected community- based organization in Kajiado District, Kenya that works to improve the living standards of the poorest community members among the Maasai while celebrating and preserving valuable aspects of Maasai traditions.

A humanitarian from California, Denny “Simba Maasai,” inspired the then-young director of SIMOO, Francis Ole Sakuda, in the late 1970s by building a dam to ensure that Maasai livestock would have access to water during the dry season. After the dam was washed away during rains in 1999, Ole Sakuda founded SIMOO to rebuild the dam and tackle the extreme poverty faced by many Maasai. Children herd their goats and sheep to drink at the Oloshoiboi dam maintained by SIMOO

Maasai community members in Oloshoiboi, living in one of the most arid areas of Kenya, have poor access to water, education, and health care. SIMOO seeks to alleviate these problems through creative solutions to education, improved food and water security, environment and bio-diversity conservation, women's empowerment, small business promotion, and community training.

During the past year’s crippling drought, SIMOO focused on fundraising for drought relief food and distribution. Now that the rains have come, they are working toward long-term food and water security strategies.

With the performance tour in New England, SIMOO hopes to raise funds for the ongoing projects of their organization. They also want to expose students to African history and culture. SIMOO hopes that increased mutual knowledge and understanding will combat detrimental stereotypes of Africa, and minimize Africa’s marginalization in the global community. This cultural exchange will be valuable for both “givers” and “receivers” of Maasai knowledge. Women receive drought relief food from a SIMOO program officer on January 24, 2006 at the SEUSEU Cultural Center.

3 John Ole Sakuda teaches students how to dance to a Maasai song at SIMOO PERFORMANCES

Indigenous Educational Performances w SIMOO are appropriate for audiences of all ages, from grade school to uni

Masconomet Regional Middle School, Topsfield, Massachusetts ith versity. he performances involve songs, dances, the a IMOO’s performances address many Maasai traditional songs systems, sacrifices, and cerem tion of a Maasai peace ceremony child naming, graduations, marriage practices he performance, including a question and a addition to giving presentations, the for

elry T storytelling, and information on Maasai culture and values that educates and entertains. Perhaps most importantly, event reinforces for students that they are small part of a connected world.

S topics that can be tailored to a school’s particular interest. Highlights include:

Storytelling Maasai belief onies Peace and conflict resolution, including demonstrations, Oral history, including the origin of the community and pastoral way of life Relationship between nature, environment, religion, and people Role of women Rites of passage: Community leadership and traditional political structure

T and answer discussion session, typically lasts for about an hour half, but can be tailored to meet any school’s needs and interests.

In members of SIMOO sell Maasai jewelry to raise additional money their community. SIMOO uses funding from their performances and jew sales to benefit the many projects that SIMOO sponsors. John Ole Sakuda, Alice Meshana, and Jane Kamuasi sing as Francis Ole Sakuda demonstrates his jumping abilities 4 SIMOO’S PROGRAMS

SIMOO has a number of programs that advance the level of infrastructure and education in their Oloshoiboi community:

Water Access and Rights: SIMOO has improved water access to six villages in the Ngong Hills, Kenya, reaching approximately 6,000 Maasai. SIMOO has built numerous w storage tanks and a pipeline connecting school to a constant and reliable water source. Recently, they have successfully raised funds through US-based organization Quench the Thirst to purchase rainwater holding tanks for individual households.

SIMOO’s past Educational Performances have funded the construction of pipeline-fed water tanks like this one at primary school in the village of Ilnarooj. ater s

Education and Cultural Preservation: SIMOO built and runs the Self Education Understanding & Sound Environmental Utilization (SEUSEU) Cultural Center, which hosts various training workshops for Maasai a is also used to generate income. The center hosts a small museum of antique Maasai artifacts, which SIMOO hopes to expand into a concrete building for better preservation of cloth and leather items. On location, they have also instituted a guided tour of medicinal plants and traditional learning of the Maasai for use during the workshops. In June, SIMOO hosts a cultural show at SEUSEU each year to encourage local Maasai to appreciate their culture by learning traditional songs and dances. nd

Community Theatre: SIMOO organizes a theatre group which conducts plays at SEUSEU to train other community members about many of the issues confronting the Maasai. From AIDS/HIV awareness to women’s roles and rights, the theatre is a popular form of education that fosters a strong sense of community.

Maasai Women’s Empowerment and Education Program: An autonomous arm of SIMOO, this program fosters support for women in the male-dominated Maasai society. Their purpose is to give girls an equal opportunity to secondary school and collegiate level education through girls’ scholarships. They also plan to support the growth of small-scale businesses among Maasai women to improve their socio-economic status.

Network: SIMOO is a leader in the growing network of Maasai organizations called the Maa Civil Society Forum. The Forum seeks to increase communications between various Maasai organizations and foster political education and training for remote community members.

5 PERFORMER BIOGRAPHIES

FRANCIS NKITORIA OLE SAKUDA was born in 1965 at Oloshoiboi village of Kajiado District in Kenya. He went to Oloshoiboi primary school, Oloshoiboi High School, Moi University in Eldoret, Kenya, and Daystar University College in Nairobi, Kenya. He earned a Bachelors Degree in Cultural Anthropology, Master of Arts degree in International Relations USIU Kenya, and a certificate from the Institute of International Education Washington, DC on Leadership for Social Justice. From left: David Michael Favreau, Cultural Survival’s Marketing Director & Cultural Survival Bazaar Program Coordinator and SIMOO performers Alice Meshana, Francis Ole Sakuda, Jane Kamuasi, and John Ole Sakuda

Also did a research on Human rights and development at the State University of New York at Suny Cortland and is co-author of Honey and Heifer, Grasses, Milk and Water: A Heritage of Diversity in Reconciliation, published by the National Museums of Kenya in Nairobi. The book explores practices of conflict resolution and reconciliation among pastoralist communities in Kenya. Francis is the executive director and founder of SIMOO.

Joshua Santamo Partaati Was born in 1967. He is a Teacher and a Principle of an Elementary school in Kenya. He has been teaching for the last 20 years is married with four children.

Alice Sanaipei Kina, was born in 1980 at the village of Ilngarooj in Kenya.she has a certificate from the Regional Institute of Professional Studies, Kenya in community development.. She is married and has one child.

Grace Suyianta Salau was born in April 1983 and is Trained in Library Science. She speaks Maa, English, and Swahili. She has worked with Simba Maasai Outreach Organization (SIMOO) in Women Empowerment. Her roles include training women on areas of health and education. She has also worked with Maasai Arts and Tours to promote philanthropic tourism and eco-tourism. Also involved in entrepreneurial development which enabled women to develop beaded handcrafts and market them to for economic empowerment. This has enabled women improve their economic well being and social welfare.