– You have been employed by a non-governmental organization (NGO) to educate American workers who will travel to Africa for additional training before their assignment with various Masai tribes/sub-tribes. The program’s purpose is to work with the Masai people and help them navigate through turbulent changing times. Everyone understands that to survive, the Masai must change.
Your job is to ensure the workers have the necessary background knowledge on the Masai to understand their traditional way of life with its culture and traditions, their perspectives, and their willingness (or lack thereof) to change. The NGO workers need this background knowledge before they go to Africa for more intensive training. You know that the change must be gradual if it is to take place, so you also need to outline a strategy and identify priorities so that NGO workers can be effective in their mission.
– Watch the film, “The Masai Today: Changing Traditions, (52:13).
– Write a 1500 word essay comparing/contrasting the “old” (traditional lifestyle) way of life of the Masai with the “new” evolving way of life (modern lifestyle) as depicted in the film.
As examples, compare and contrast such things as:
How more modern Masai people deal with the modern world compared to the traditional members of the tribe.
How the traditional Masai people use animals, agriculture, and other means to support themselves is changing.
How traditional versus modern Masai view each other.
What are the agents of change in Maasai society today?
What are the views of traditional versus modern Masai on religion, traditions, ancestors, marriage, the roles of women, where to store wealth, which animals to use, etc.?
The film is the primary source of information for your assignment, but using additional resources should help you write a better paper.
