Ok, this actually isn’t about the Maasai, but about the Karamojong, their less well-known cousins (apologies to all the Karamojong for the trick to lure readers less familiar with Uganda).
The Karamojong are agro-pastoralist communities living in the north-east of Uganda, and to many (at least a bit familiar with Uganda) the images that spring into mind when talking about Karamoja are tall people with many beads, earrings and scar tatoos, dressed only in traditional colourful blanket-like shawl.
Something like this, perhaps.
Very different from the rest of Uganda, the Karamojong are considered by the majority of Ugandans as violent cattle raiders living a very backward, "uncivilised", way of life (they run around nearly naked, for goodness’ sake! Which is, of course, "wrong" - as I heard with my own ears). True, the region, the poorest in Uganda, has been plagued by hunger and violence – committed both by the Karamojong "warriors" as well as by the UPDF, the Ugandan army – and neglected by the government.
But there's more to Karamoja than just the tradition, beads and poverty - and this little musical video shows how well the traditional and the modern can blend!
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