Possibility
From The Optimist Magazine
Summer 2014
The Maasai of East Africa are famous for their warrior culture. Tradition dictates that the boys of this nomadic tribe earn the respect of their clan by fighting with lions or with rivals. Disputes between villages over grazing rights for cattle or over water wells are often decided by violent battles. Maasai Ezekiel Ole Katato, from Kenya, would like this to change. He would prefer differences to be resolved through dialogue. As a member of the MasterPeace peace organization, he acts as an intermediary between the clan elders of villages when they become embroiled in disputes.
When his home village of Indupa came into conflict with neighboring Kilonito, he managed to bring the warring factions together. The villages were fighting over who had greater rights to the local water source. “I took on the role of a neutral party. It was very difficult to get the elders to talk to each other, and the atmosphere was very tense. At first they couldn’t even look one another in the eye,” he tells The Intelligent Optimist at the MasterPeace conference in the Netherlands. Eventually the two villages reached a compromise, and the villagers of Indupa and Kilonito now take turns fetching water.
Katato wants to continue spreading his message of peace, and also to protect Maasai culture and the area’s nature reserves. To pursue his dream, on May 30 he will literally follow in the footsteps of Scottish explorer Joseph Thomson. He is embarking on a six-day peace walk, passing through various Maasai villages to draw attention to his peace mission. | Willemijn Ruissen
