The Morans (2021) by Vibhor YadavProject FUEL
The Morans are young men of the Maasai people, from the ages of 14 to 30, who are trained as warriors to provide protection to society. They are considered to be the bearer of the community.
Collaborating with the Maasai (2021) by Vibhor YadavProject FUEL
For the past few years, we have been collaborating with the Maasai community in the Losimingori village of Arusha, Tanzania, to build a community center cum museum. This gave us the opportunity to witness the Lion song.
Status Symbol (2021) by Vibhor YadavProject FUEL
Cows are considered wealth by the Maasai. And when killed by a lion, it causes the tribe a considerable loss.
Sing aloud (2021) by Vibhor YadavProject FUEL
When there’s a lion in the vincity, the Morans come together and sing “The Lion Song”.
Humm (2021) by Vibhor YadavProject FUEL
Amos, a Moran shared, “When I kill a lion after it killed our cattle, I gain experience and people respect me more."
Practice the Task (2021) by Vibhor YadavProject FUEL
There are some exercises that Morans do in preparing themselves to defend the cattle, like, practising throwing spears. They also ensure to eat and drink healthily to gain strength.
Dance and sing (2021) by Vibhor YadavProject FUEL
The Morans also walk long distances, sometimes from one district to another. All of this together makes them fit for the task.
Strategize (2021) by Vibhor YadavProject FUEL
When they encounter a lion, they together start humming the song. The belief is that the vibrations from the song cause the lion to faint. That's when they attack and kill it.
The lion dies (2021) by Vibhor YadavProject FUEL
“When we come home with the lion skin, the women get so emotional. They cry as a sense of relief that they now have nothing to fear.", Amos shared. The killing of the lion is a big victory for the community.
Song for the Lion (2022) by Project FUELProject FUEL
Director: Surya Balakrishnan
Producer: Apoorva Bakshi and Deepak Ramola
Associate Producer: Ayushi Jaiswal
Director of Photography: Sabit Tisekar
Drone Cinematographer: Vibhor Yadav
Additional Cinematographer: Siddharth Govindan
Editor: Dhruv Verma
Sound Designer and Mixer: Teja Asgk and Jubin Raj
Assistant Sound Designer and Mixer: Prince John Carelet
Colourist: Sanchita Sen
Project FUEL would like to thank the Maasai community in the Losimingori village of Arusha, Tanzania for opening their hearts and home to this research.
This exhibit is part of the Wise Wall Project, an initiative of Project FUEL, to document, design, and strengthen the wisdom of rural communities and marginalized villages using art and community outreach programs. In the third edition of this project, we collaborated with the Maasai, in Arusha, Tanzania, to build an on-ground community centre for the people and bring an exclusive insight into the life, lifestyle, and learnings of this inspiring community.
Photography: Vibhor Yadav, Siddharth Govindan
Wall Murals: Poornima Sukumar
Canvas Art: Advithi Emmi
Cultural Consultant and Translators: Kaay Ndoika Lengima, Elisha Olchakai Kirumui and Lemali Ndoika
Research, Interviews and Curation: Project FUEL
Project Partners: Vijana Inspiring Foundation, Vikram Solar Ltd., Lions Club of Dar es Salaam and Arusha, Google Arts & Culture
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