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Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton, a member of the nomadic African Maasai tribe, humorously shared personal cultural experiences from his childhood in Africa, as well as from his early days in America, with Latin’s sixth grade students on November 29. He was invited by Middle School humanities teachers Linda Coffman and Kari Wimbish to discuss his unique life, which is split between America, where he teaches social studies at The Langley School in northern Virginia, and Kenya, where he lives in a dung hut.
Lekuton shares his stories of growing up in Kenya with American students to spread positive messages about Africa, to demonstrate how similar people are despite their cultural differences, and to inspire young people to meet the challenges they will face in life. He returns to his tribe every summer, where he helps provide education scholarships to nomadic children, and assists with various community development projects. He is often accompanied by his American students.
“I like them to see the village I grew up in, actually go to the hut where I say ‘Ah! There's my mom,’ so they know how the rest of the world lives, not only in America.” He takes them to his old primary school, where few students have shoes or good clothing. “I always point at one of the kids and say, ‘This was me.”
Lekuton is the author of Facing The Lion: Growing Up Maasai on the African Savanna (National Geographic Books, 2003). In the book, he tells the story of facing his first lion when he was a very young and unproven warrior. His excitement and bravado did not prepare him, and he ran away at the last moment. “My life changed, and the lion became a symbol of the challenges that I would encounter for the rest of my life,” he said.
Growing up, Lekuton balanced his formal education with the education of life in his village, learning to find good grazing and fresh water for the cattle. He underwent the rites of passage to become a full Maasai warrior, while gaining admission to high school, where he studied geography, economics, and Kiswahili. Lekuton continued his education in the United States, earning Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from St. Lawrence University, and a second Master’s degree from Harvard University.
His education cost his family dearly. They paid for his tuition by selling precious cattle, their primary form of wealth, until draught ended that resource. Fortunately, others recognized his potential, including the President of Kenya, and he was able to continue his studies. While he values his formal education, the lesson he learned from the encounter with the lion taught him to face new challenges with conviction. “There is no way I'm going to turn back from anything anymore in my life,” he said.
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