Nottingham connected
17
Y THE MAASAI CRICKET WARRIORS ’NOTTINGHAM
TOUR ON FOOT’
By Leikeisha Walters/Edith Onovo
The Maasai Cricket Warriors were treated to a tour of
Nottingham on foot, hosted by Mojatu Foundation. It was
quite exciting as they walked the streets adorning their
bright and colourful shukas and beads.
The Warriors garnered the attention of a few drivers who
probably should have had their eyes on the road!! And
they were amused by well-meaning calls of “Wakanda
Forever!”* from a works van on busy Maid Marian Way -
commenting that Nottingham was much friendlier than
some of the other places they had previously visited on
tour!
(*note: though they may embody the closest thing we
could get to superheroes through their work, no, the
Maasai Cricket Warriors are not fictional characters from
Black Panther or a place called Wakanda - they’re actually
from Laikipia, Kenya!)
Other passers-by were naturally curious and stopped to
ask about their attire, the significance of wearing it,
and to take pictures with the Warriors in all their glory.
Members of the public were keen to know more about
the Warriors and their campaigns for gender equality,
work around substance misuse, HIV/AIDS awareness and
conservation projects back home in Kenya, which also
provided an opportunity for Mojatu Foundation to raise
awareness of their involvement in the End FGM campaign,
various training programmes, course development and
research projects.
Mojatu Foundation is an active participant in local,
national and international End-FGM campaigns, and were
instrumental in making Nottingham the first city in the UK
to declare zero-tolerance against FGM.
The End FGM Campaign by Mojatu Foundation aims to
end female genital mutilation (FGM) within a generation;
the Maasai Cricket Warriors share the same values and
campaign for social justice, especially for the girl child.