Inhalt: | Pongezi' is the story of the alternative rites of passage for Maasai girls in Kenya. Nice Nailantei plays a central role in the book. She is a young Maasai girl who grew up to become a leader and worldwide advocate of the alternative ritual. She was able to escape the Maasai circumcision and now stands up for the other girls in her community. Maasai girls are still circumcised. Yet for the first time, strong women and girls now see an opportunity to rise up against this age-old tradition. They still perform the rituals that celebrate the transition from child to woman, but are no longer circumcised. The key to the acceptance of this process is the informed awareness of the whole community, and the ultimate goal is to provide the girls with an education instead of circumcision. Anja Ligtenberg spent several weeks photographing the changes in this traditional culture. She took these images in areas where the process is supported by AMREF Flying Doctors. She also visited an area where the rites of passage are celebrated within the family. Anja Ligtenberg photographed Nice Nailantei last September in New York, where she spoke at the Clinton Global Initiative and in other places in order to raise awareness for her case. In December she photographed her life in Kenya, in her own traditional community where she plays a central role in the organisation of the alternative ritual and with elders, Morans and the girls |
