Maasai at The Golf Club

At this first full meeting at the golf club  new president, Geoff Longmire was ‘invaded’ by a troupe of Maasai Warriors who performed authentic Maasai tribal songs.

The Osiligi Maasai Warriors, to give them their full title, come from the village of Oleopolos and surrounding communities in southern Kenya and are currently on their fourth tour of England.  The Warriors, resplendent in traditional costume, gave a stirring display of song and dance which included the famous Maasai jumping – at one point President Geoff Longmire was hauled on to the dance floor by one of the Warriors and he gamely set about giving a reasonable impression of a Maasai Warrior even including one or two impressive jumps, much no doubt to his surprise and certainly to the surprise of the assembled Rotarians and their guests.

Not only were the Rotarians and guests treated to tribal dancing but also to the history of the Maasai.  The Maasai used to rely on their warriors fighting other tribes, quite often for the possession of cows (the Massai consider all cows in the world belong to them), but nowadays the warriors swear by the pen in one hand and a book in the other, instead of a spear and a shield.  Respect was also strong in the Maasai, respect for others and respect in particular for ones elders, as well as respect for the land and other living things.

Since its inception around six years ago, the Osiligi Charity Projects has made great improvements in the lives of the Maasai people of Oleopolos.  They have built a primary school, the Osiligi Obaya Academy, which was opened in 2012 and a medical centre was opened in 2014, water stations have also been improved and a new church and community centre established.  All this costs money so one of the reasons for going on tour is to generate donations all of which goes to the charity to support these community projects.

The final dance the Warriors performed was in celebration of a victory over the killing of a lion, although sometimes the tribesmen were killed by the lion so the stakes were very high indeed.  At the end of the performance, amidst thunderous applause, President Geoff thanked the Osiligi Maasai Warriors for entertaining in a right royal manner, and Bexhill Rotary donated £200 to the Warriors’ charity.