Symbol of Bravery

The circumcision ceremony takes place every 7 years in the Maasai community. The ceremony is performed without anesthetic by the village elders. The boy is expected to bear the pain as a sign to check his bravery. If the boy flinches, his face is painted black to show his weakness. Kakachi shared that he couldn’t move for two weeks after circumcision.

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.