Adrien Blondel

When out of their territories, Maasais identify each other through little details on the person, often times a bead bracelet or a missing front tooth. These serve as a form of identification, and can be seen as a beacon in a country where they find themselves the minority and see their land ownership being more and more contested.

Namuncha is a Maasai community in Kenya, it is located at the edge of the Maasai territory, and its members sometimes refer to themselves as the last Maasais. This little joke has a bitter sweet taste, bearing the ominous prophecy of their disappearance, the relegation of their traditions to something solely picturesque.

I first spent some time in Namuncha eight years ago, to provide images to serve for their increasing desire to welcome tourists in the community and participate in the country’s first economy. I gathered some footage and photographs. I went back in 2016 with the purpose to create a multimedia project including a feature length documentary and a photographic story. The aim of this project is to provide representation for the ordinary, the everyday, among a radically different culture, culture that is known in the world for its colorful and exotic traditions.

My project deals with the mundanities of Maasai life, with a culture that is shaped around their own concept of time. They are a chanting people living a quiet life, a fleeting culture under the pressure of globalization. The apparent peacefulness bears the presence of a struggle, a struggle rooted in history, culture and economics, a silent ongoing threat. www.adrienblondelphotography.com