21st century versus traditions
Another project of Femisphera was taken place in the East African Kenya at the turn of October and November 2009. Its main aim was to map the life of Samburu women.
Samburu tribe belongs among the most interesting, most colorful, but also among the most conservative tribes inhabiting Kenya. They are tightly related to the more renowned Masai, whom they still overrule by their greater taste for self-decoration. Despite the pressure of the modern times they still keep their hundred years old traditions and customs, among which also belongs the ritual female circumcision.
Lenka Klicperová and Olga Šilhová travelled to record and photograph in the traditional Samburu villages, where the female role remains unchanged for hundreds of years. Functioning of local society would be unthinkable without women´s work. Woman is the one, who builds the simple huts, she takes care of the children and must collect the wood and bring the water every day. Women provide all the tasks, which ensure the survival of a whole family. However she gets for all the above mentined work only minimum of acknowledgement - in many cases her price does not go beyond the price of few pieces of livestock. She can gain more recognition at the old age (if she still lives by that time). Besides these obligations, female world is tied up by traditions, which in the context of the Western world and 21st century seem terrific and condemnable - as for example female circumcision. Even though the female circumcision is illegal in Kenya, it has still been remaining a part of Samburu women´s lives.
We will try to collect the stories and evidence of local women as well as their opinions of this ritual, without which a woman is basically valueless. Uncircumcised girl is considered as unclean. Apart from the fact that she will most probably not get married, but also the other women, despite their knowledge, how painful circumcision remains for the rest of their lives, will look at her as on a worthless thing.
Nonetheless there are suppositions occuring, that even the Samburu world begins to change.
The original plan was to record and took photographs in Umoja village, but it was not possible. Today´s Umoja is only tourist attraction, and women from this village wanted to pay for everything a lot of money – for interviews, photographs, for camera, for air...It was not possible to stay here with very limited budget.
But finally the project was realized in the neighbouring village Nangida, where members of Femisphera were cordially welcome and spent a great time with a local community mainly of Samburu women. Besides of this they spent a few days in Turkana lake region filming, interviewing and taking photographs of El Molo people, the smallest tribe in Africa.
The trip to North of Kenya was supported by the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs in connection with a financial aid of media and journalists for processing of the reports from the developing countries in 2009 and Mlada fronta publishing house (www.mf.cz)
and also Air France KLM (http://www.airfrance.com/cgi-bin/AF/CZ/cs/common/home/home/HomePageAction.do)
Whole project was also supported by Prague club Mecca, which decided to organize a party called Mecca dances for Africa. Its profit was dedicated to projects of Femipshera. Part of the gained money was determined to direct help in Kenya through the organization Asante Kenya founded by Lejla Abbasová.
Besides numerous of media output was also made a reportage for Czech Televizion which was broadcasted 23.1. 2010. You can follow the link:
http://www.ceskatelevize.cz/ivysilani/210542151030006-cerne-detstvi/
Here is a big reportage written by Lenka Klicperové for magazine Lide a Zeme titled The Circumcised:
http://www.lideazeme.cz/clanek/obrezane
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