The couple met when Juma went to visit Miles' home town in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire during his UK tour as a traditional African dancer. The Maasai peoples adapted extremely well to their new environment, as the UNESCO General History of Africa Vol. Spear in hand, they are calm and courageous regardless of the danger. 'But there is hardly a huge sea of great guys here in the UK. Her relationship with him went the same way as her marriage to his father, and she came back to the UK again to give birth to their baby. 2.5M views 1 year ago Ntoiyai Koruta and Gaia Dominici are a match made in heaven. She said the song was all about love and thats what we shared. Rebekah O'Brien moved to Kenya and married a Maasai warrior, but she has just had a baby with his son after they fell for each other. She says: He told me hed always loved me. Now the pair live together in their own mud house in Tanzania in a boma - a family compound - and had a Maasai wedding in June 2018, followed by a legal ceremony in July of this year. 20:08 GMT 05 Jun 2016. A BRIT theatre worker has revealed how she moved to Kenya to be with a Maasai warrior - only to have a baby by his teenage son. In an ideal world, true love should transcend one's colour, culture, language, social and economic backgrounds and become the magic wand that makes these divisive limits powerless. In the past when someone died, the Maasai would roll the body in cow hide, smear it in fat and leave it for the scavengers, but the government decreed it unhygienic and encouraged them to bury their dead instead. Although he was married with five children - a boy and four girls aged between five and 17 - he told her their relationship was platonic and his wife Joyce herself told Rebekah that she was happy for them to marry. Pictured: Rebekah with her son Kito Rebekah's love affair. Young Nairobi mother narrates journey from garbage collector to owning garbage trucks. We talked about getting married and although he didnt say his marriage was over, and I knew he still lived with his wife, I felt assured they were nothing more than friends.'. We Maasai have a future as great runners. She also found it challenging having little alone time with her partner - for he was always surrounded by other warriors. First Joyce, who had given her husbands new relationship her blessing, suddenly died causing the villagers to blame Rebekah. I was getting death threats . The food is quite greasy and Im still getting used to things like pie and chips and I miss my six siblings in Kenya a lot. The two bonded over a beach walk the next evening, but Deborah didn't see it going any further because of the age gap. Despite this, Saitoty followed her to her next destination in Tanzania and was upset when she had to leave to go back home, two weeks later. Never miss important updates. They didn't interview him, which was a bummer, because I . But three years on and her fate has been less than straightforward. The story of Mindy Budgor, a white, middle class American who travelled to Kenya to live amongst the Masai Mara for three months to do charity work, is a troubling narrative for Africans.. According to the Mail, she said: My friends said I was mad to be running off with a Kenyan man, living in a tin hut with him and his first wife and five children. Enter your password to log in. She said she does everything that a Maasai wife is expected to do in her house like fetching firewood, cooking, fetching water and taking care of the homestead. 'They didn't have an issue with the age difference and told me that if I was happy then I should go for it.'. A new mother has revealed how after she moved to Kenya to marry a Maasai warrior she went on to have a baby with his teenage son - who remains in Africa, while she is back in Britain. It was there that Rebekah and Rempesa, the village butcher, started a relationship. She says: I began to wonder if Id feel like I had two children instead of one when the baby arrived. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. The ritual of learning how to bead is one that is shared between mother and daughter, with the matriarch responsible for initiating her child in . Christina said, "Its been a long hard battle but weve stuck together throughout it all. 'The food is much healthier and less processed, just lots of fruit, veg and meat, and the weather is much better. 'We didn't have any money with us but I asked if we could take a photo as I had never met a Maasai,' she said. Traditionally, Masai boys face circumcision during their teenage years, whereby the boys now become 'men', and enter a special camp called an EMANYATTA, where they train to be Masai warriors for the next 10 years. I stumbled over the greeting I'd learnt phonetically and was relieved when the chief said, "Welcome to our. MED student from Ewuaso Kedong' in the Rift Valley of Kenya. Now many of the things that I used to find difficult have become an integrated part of my life, she said. After the baby also tragically died six weeks after being born, she once again returned to Kenya. Juma returned to Britain on a working visa the following year after securing a job at Blackpool Tower Circus as a dancer, and in September 2011 he sat a Home Office test to prove he could speak English and was ready to become a UK citizen. We are still in love and have proved everybody wrong. Rebekah said the other villagers blamed her tor the incident but despite threats she and Rempesa kept their relationship alive. Get involved in exciting, inspiring conversations with other readers. They are innate conservationists who live in harmony with nature. Deborah returned to Tanzania in December that year and Saitoty officially got down on one knee. I knew Rempesa and I were over for good but I missed his children. She decided to go to Kenya for a nine week trip in January 2013. Beaming Princess of Wales watches a young boy backflip during St David's Day Lovely in lilac! And she said even though neither of them could speak the others language there was instant chemistry. When the time came for Ms Fuchs to leave, she knew she was not ready. By Lawrence told me he wanted a family and I got swept along and agreed to start trying for a baby. I told him he could keep in touch with me if he liked.'. She said that there had been animosity towards her from some of the people in the village who blamed Rebekah for getting together with Rempesa for Joyce's death. Sokaine and Stephanie with their goats (Stephanie Fuchs) A German woman who married a Maasai tribe leader after she fell in love with him while volunteering in Tanzania has launched an Airbnb-style tourist enterprise that supports local health initiatives. Rebekah came back to the UK a few weeks later but kept in touch with Lawrence via phone before returning to Kenya in August. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. She employs local women to cook and make traditional gifts for visitors staying with the tribe, as well as setting up health projects in the region. Now, theyre happier than ever. 'People ask if I adopted him or that I'm his grandma which can make Saitoty upset. But she and Rempesa split before the birth and Arya died just six weeks later. A new mother has revealed how after she moved to Kenya to marry a Maasai warrior she went on to have a baby with his teenage son - who remains in Africa, while she is back in Britain. Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. And it was Joyce, 42, who welcomed Rebekah at the airport when she went to visit again in December. Rebekah returned to the UK after her trip and Rempesa followed shortly after. The same is true for my Masai women enterprise making reusable sanitary kits. News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. Who'll find love on our blind date? And I decided when I was there that I didnt want to be like women here, working all the time.. Young mum married a Maasai warrior - and then had his SON'S baby - Mirror Online, I'm marrying a Maasai Warrior | Hot Topics | Lorraine, Im pregnant by Maasai warrior I'm marrying. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. Deborah - who now uses her Maasai name Nashipai - and lives with Saitoty and his family in Ubena, Tanzania, couldn't be happier. In order for a child to become an adult and gain respect they must complete the agonizing circumcision. She enjoyed the experience so much that she extended her three-month trip to a year and started speaking Swahili in the process. The Masai women were all slim and tall, with long legs and colourful jewellery. Something went wrong, please try again later. . His life with Christina is far removed from that in Mombasa where he was forced to share a mattress with a male friend in a flimsy house in a shanty town area. They still hope to have a bigger Maasai celebration - which will have more family and tribesman coming together (pictured withMaasai tribesmen). The Maasai speak the Maa language (l Maa), a . Everything is so different. Stop her! 'It really hurts me seeing mean comments but now I see other people with age gaps and it helps us to just ignore what people say. Their lives centre around their cattle, which are their primary source of food and an important measure of wealth and success. By clicking Sign up you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use, Cookie policy and Privacy notice. He is my world, especially after losing Arya. Stephanie Fuchs, 33, has set up a "cultural experience" where travellers can participate in real Maasai life by living in huts and rearing cattle. RM B6PC43 - portrait female maasai-mara. But with a new outlook, they married. But sadly, it wasnt the happy ending Rebekah craved. 'Now looking back at that photo it looks like we were already in love. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Christina Miles met Kenyan-born Juma Hassan when she was 16, and they married against their families wishes. They live in the southern part of Kenya and the northern part of Tanzania. As I was intrigued and impressed by them and particularly him, I tried to engage them in conversation with my Swahili. Their union, though filled with rough patches like any other marriage has stood the test of time and brought pure bliss to their lives. "Juma isnt putting me under any pressure but Im thinking it may be something Id like to do. In March 2013 Rempesa returned to the UK to perform with his troupe, so they would talk on the phone up to four times a day and, on his last night here, their relationship became physical. They occupy a total land area of 160,000 square kilometres. A white woman who fell in love with her Maasai warrior narrates her love story and how she moved to Tanzania to meet the families and beautiful Maasai people. The biennial Maasai Olympics, which was first launched in 2012 to give Maasai warriors an avenue to demonstrate their physical prowess through a sporting event rather than a traditional lion hunt, also aims to . Rebekah then fell pregnant with her son Kito last August, however it seems that the pressure of the pregnancy turned the relationship sour and Rebekah returned to the UK to have their son who was born last week. All three were carried out by the warriors in defiance of the wishes of the elders and occurred at times when the government was seeking to alter Maasai society. The couple who reside in the deeper roots of Rift Valley Province knew from the word go they were meant for each. Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? We found ourselves in his bedroom having sex. Now I have Kito I cant afford to fork out hundreds to him, she says. 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