Grounded in simplicity

Cattle and family are the most important things to the Maasai and it is incredibly refreshing to be around people who live their values every day. When so much of the world is littered with extra “stuff” and so many people are absorbed by constant streams of entertainment or advertisements, it is a gift to be held by the kind, calm, purposeful energy of the Maasai. There is nothing in the camp that’s out of place, nothing that distracts or divides the attention away from caring for the livestock and each other.

Born and brought up in Vadodara, India, Trupal Pandya is a professional photographer based between Washington DC and New York. He documents indigenous communities, explore their local practices and show through his pictures how people around the world live. His portfolio includes pictures of the Huaorani Community of the Amazon Rainforest, Headhunters, Brokpas, Aghoris, eunuchs and shepherds in India and the communitys of Omo Valley in Ethiopia. Trupal’s travels have introduced him to a variety of people and situations. It is that thrill of showing the world what we don’t see every day that encouraged him to continue his journey and pursue a career as a documentary and a portrait photographer.

The Wise Wall Project is an initiative of Project FUEL that aims to document, design and strengthen the wisdom of rural communities and marginalised villages using art and community outreach programmes. The arts lead the way to raise support for the challenges these villages face today like migration, quality education and access to basic amenities like water and roads.

In the third edition of the Wise Wall Project, we are collaborating with the culturally rich and one of the oldest communitys in the world, the Maasai community, in Arusha, Tanzania, in partnership with Vikram Solar Ltd., Vijana Inspiring Foundation, Lions Club of Dar es Salaam and Arusha City, and Google Arts and Culture. Along with building an on-ground community centre and museum for the community, we are bringing an exclusive insight into the life, lifestyle and learnings from this inspiring community.