Nottingham connected
Director of Mojatu Foundation,
Valentine Nkoyo (Nashipae in the
book) speaking during the launch
Amongst them is Valentine Nkoyo,
who writes here under the Maasai
name of Nashipae (‘happiness’
or ‘happy person’). Valentine
underwent FGM at the age of 11,
as is the norm amongst the Maasai,
and is now a leading human rights
campaigner against the practice
and other forms of violence
against girls and women working
at a local, national and increasingly
international level. See her profile
at
http://valentinenkoyo.com.
In her chapter, she also shares
the difficulties she went through
as a young woman trying to
access education. Her narrative
is a powerful one, as Sentamu
underlines in his commentary,
of
someone
moving
from
powerlessness to gaining in
conviction and having a voice
for those who cannot speak for
themselves. The key for her was
education as you will appreciate
when you read her poem in
her profile or see it on a Vimeo
recording from 2004:
Faith & Spirituality
Nashipae, who studied for a time
in York, added: “I mention FGM
around 30 times a day. A lot of
people find it difficult to talk about.
I was forced to go through it at
the age of 11, but that does not
define who I am. I know millions
and millions of people are at risk of
FGM, so even if I can save one life I
am ready to do it.”
This book is a companion both
to John Sentamu’s Hope Stories
(DLT, 2014) and to his Faith Stories
(DLT,2013). In this new book
Archbishop Sentamu introduces
the stories of 22 individuals with
personal encounters of the love
of God in the midst of devastating
experiences such as bereavement,
female genital mutilation, being
held hostage and surviving a
tsunami.
21
share in their incredible journeys
of opening hearts and homes,
taking on new roles that express
unconditional and selfless love to
others.
John Sentamu’s Agape Love Stories
is available in paperback, priced
£9.99, from bookstores and online.
ISBN: 978-0-232-53223-4.
Contributors to the book
include: Jean Vanier, Richard
Taylor OBE, Emily Finch, Tuatagaloa
Joe Annandale, Jill Quinn, Beverley
Thomas, Mary Kolu Massaquoi,
Claire Daniels, Muthoni Kanga,
Alan Guile, Nashipae, John
Senior MBE TD, Kate Marsden,
Gabriel Oyediwura, Janet Morley,
Archdeacon Tiki Raumati, Maureen
Greaves BEM, Patricia Mutangili,
Soroush Sadeghzadeh, Revd David
Tomlinson, Gee Walker and Revd
Irene Wilson.
For more information, please visit:
http://www.archbishopofyork.org/
pages/agape-love-stories-2016-.
html
Richard Taylor, Beverley Thomas
and The Archbishop of York, John
Sentamu
John Sentamu is the Archbishop
of York, and was previously Bishop
of Birmingham and Bishop of
Stepney. He is author of John
Sentamu’s Faith Stories (DLT: 2013)
and John Sentamu’s Hope Stories
(DLT: 2014).
In this heart-warming and
challenging book, they invite us to
https://vimeo.com/10067804.
The launch saw many of the
contributors gather in York,
including Nashipae, who went
through female genital mutilation
at her home in Kenya and now
speaks against the practice.
The Archbishop said: “If you read
this story, what comes out is a
place of healing.”
Some of the 22 contributors whose stories are featured in Sentamu’s Agape
love Stories