Today’s Solutions: December 01, 2024

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

Print this article
More of Today's Solutions

This map shows what Indigenous land you live on

If you’ve attended a virtual lecture or presentation lately you may have noticed that the speakers initiated the event with an acknowledgment of which ...

Read More

This composting technique turns food waste into fertilizer in just 24 hours

Composting organic waste is a great way to prevent it from ending up in landfills and releasing methane, a greenhouse gas a lot more ...

Read More

“Count Down” ー Protecting our bodies and our fertility in the modern age

“Hormones get no respect. We think of them as the elusive chemicals that make us a bit moody, but these magical little molecules do ...

Read More

For Greenlanders, eating sugar is significantly healthier

Sugar is vital for humans to survive as fuels us with energy, that’s why mother nature made the sweet treat so delicious! Although, for ...

Read More