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I, Miyere Ole Miyandazi, am a Maasai warrior from Narok, Kenya. I have a Masters in Political Science. In 2014, I walked 4,000 km from Kenya to South Africa, uniting fellow activists, artists and friends in a 6-month journey called the Maasai Mission to protest against the Kenyan government committing ethnic cleansing against my tribe.
Denial of land was at the heart of my decision for the journey. In 1904 the English signed a 100-year land lease treaty with the Maasai in Kenya. Which Maasai could read in 1904? But Maasai are patient people, and in 2004 the 100 years were over. It was a simple thing, our land would be given back. That didn’t happen and, in spite of protests and appeals to the Kenyan government, they refused to return it to the Maasai.
So, I decided to walk and create an awareness in the world about minority rights hence my journey as a social justice activist. This journey took me through many parts of Africa to end up in Cape Town which I used as a base for my mission for over a year. While there, I worked with minority groups including homeless street children in Thekwini, Bushmen in the Kalahari and Zulu people in Durban over land issues.
I do not believe in carrying a passport and part of the campaign was for unrestricted movement. This got me arrested in Tanzania, Zambia and Mozambique. The crime that I do is just walk. My fingerprint is my passport. Our passports should be our intentions and values in life. We are colonial beings and national boundaries still put us in prison.
In 2011, I set of once again from South Africa to Morocco through Cairo on the Ultimate Walk for Humanity Campaign to help the continent rediscover itself away from the barriers of colonialism. I encapsulate Masai culture with two rudimentary principles: To be free and enjoy life, and to live by the philosophy that land can only be used, never owned.
Ask me anything related to this journey and the lessons learnt along the way. I will officially begin the chat on Friday 11th October at 11:00 EAT but you can leave your questions before then.
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As we wait for Friday to arrive, I have compiled links to help you learn more about Miyere and his journey. Here you go:
http://howarddrakes.blogspot.com/2011/10/long-walk-to-discovery.html
https://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/maasai-warrior-breaking-the-boundaries-293874
https://www.pressreader.com/south-africa/daily-dispatch/20110325/281530812546883
https://www.theafricareport.com/9192/the-rainbow-nation-through-african-eyes/
https://www.news24.com/Archives/Witness/Activists-and-streetkids-to-walk-Comrades-route-for-the-homeless-20150430
https://books.google.com/books?id=My-vBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA94&lpg=PA94&dq=Miyere+Miyandazi&source=bl&ots=b3FPfsHCnp&sig=ACfU3U1a5DINp0ETZdo3IQ_ZVz5oEcEyUw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjvu4SAto7lAhWXGjQIHd69A384ChDoATADegQICBAB#v=onepage&q=Miyere%20Miyandazi&f=false -
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Thanks to you for the opportunity and positive use of the social media platform to engage more regarding our status as natives of the mother land.The journey continues as its a struggle basically for the rights of movement and self definition of freedom, away from the colonial imposed and guarded definition.
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There has been some positive developments but still not enough. The native people all over the world are still not free to define and live their lives in the direction that spiritually, economically and socially empowers them, they are still discriminated against and forced to abide by the rules and foreign standards set by the mentally colonized majority. This is always for the benefit of the colonial system of governance still in place today. We continue to struggle for the rights of the minority who are victims of the majority rule.
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One of the articles I read about your journey was dissecting your choice of South Africa as choice for making your statement about the plight of your people. What influenced you to make a stand in South Africa and, a’s an extension, what are your thoughts on the recent spat of violence against other Africans in South Africa?
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The struggle for rights was something that was still very much alive in the south African psychic and it was much easier for them to identify with my mission. The eyes of the world media and human rights activists were still very much alive in this country and to me, South Africa was the boiling pot of the world with a diverse people from all over. The recent Afro phobic attacks are unfortunate but needs understanding of the true conspirators and beneficiaries hiding behind the curtains. I believe that S.A is still very much under the control of foreign forces. The majority are intentionally remain economically dis empowered intentionally.
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You were arrested in Tanzania, Zambia and Mozambique for not having a passport. How did you manage to get out and are you still passport free?
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I am currently in rural Kenya and supporting in the establishment of a cultural skills development center. From my walk through parts of Africa, i realized that what had been taken away from the native masses was the cultural values and ethics. These has denied us the right to develop in the direction that we have a unique say and a real conscious contribution to humanity. The initial struggle for freedom by the natives was Land and the right to their spiritual and cultural development. The colonialist could not stand against that for long, especially with the presence of the UN and international laws. It was prudent to have the converted natives/home guards take over power and govern in their interest. The natives have never ever been allowed true freedom to define their own path and at the center we are challenging this and having our communities re invent and re a waken their cultural skills, values. This will empower them to walk their purpose away from foreign imposed mental and foreign borders.
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Though the book titled “THE DIVORCE”was finished, it is yet to be published as most publishers find it hard to sell a book with such a title. I truly have been exposed to acts of human kind that i will forever live to appreciate and honor. We have kind souls in amidst the greedy, selfish and violent souls in this our beautiful and sacred world. I’d find accommodation from places i never would have expected and still in some places one would choose to relocate the chicken to the house and allow me to sleep in the chicken coop. People who i could clearly see had little would share their food with me despite of their own inadequacy. People would walk along and guide me through their localities with true kindness and nothing attached. some people would offer the best that they had not withstanding the fact that they didn’t know me. Other souls would do their best to see to it that i was free from any danger and others would go out of their way and risk their “jobs” for the sake of having me remain free. I know that human kind exists and if not for the current governance systems that bay for the sweat and blood of the citizens, then the spirit of human kindness would be visible more often and everywhere.
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I did face similar challenges in other countries as i was walking up north, even in countries like Zambia and T.Z where i passed through on my way down. A countries that supported other countries to fight for their land during the colonial era.This is the reason why i decided to establish the center as i think we need to find ourselves first before we can truly develop in a sustainable direction unique to our continent, friendly to our environment and humanity in general.
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The arrests in Africa were prove of the deeply rooted, blood drenched and founded Bismark imposed divisive and imaginary foreign boundaries. It was sad to realize that we are still living under colonial founded values and definitions of who we are. It is not for our benefit as native residents of our motherland and humanity but for the benefit of a few home guards serving the colonial master. It is worth noting that despite all these, we have a few pockets of people waking up to the reality of the colonial lie and are pursuing free united Africa with African defined local boundaries. we should re invent Africa and uproot those borders that have never served us. Mental freedom remains to be the weapon to defeat this imprisonment of a people. How can walking, a native act of praying, meditating and connecting with the ancestral spirits be a crime in a free and enlightened democratic society?
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You have a masters in political science. This might suggest you had intentions of joining the ‘rat race’ at a certain point in your past. Were the violent actions of the Kenyan govt towards your tribesmates what sparked the calling to go back to your traditional way of life or was that always there and formal education was a matter of curiosity?
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My early academic journey was decided by my parents but later i realized that it was the best way to achieve freedom in a world that was already biased towards the western understanding. I had to be able to critique and articulate my intentions with a deeper understanding of the western culture. I believe that knowledge is power and experiencing the diverse cultures is important for a peaceful co existence, where one is able to be accommodating of diverse views without judgement and violence.
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What do your parents think of the path you chose to pursue? And knowing what you know now, what path would you want for your children, or the African the child?
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In a blog post by a gentleman that joined you for part of the journey and was supposed to help you write a book about it (was it completed btw), you are quoted as saying you wanted to see for yourself if the “kind human” still existed in humankind. Considering some of the tribulations along the way, what have been your 5 main moments that have restored your faith in humanity?
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You are dedicated to highlighting issues that minority groups including your own tribe, homeless street children in Thekwini, Bushmen in the Kalahari and Zulu people in Durban and others face. From your experiences working with them, is there hope for them or is the big capitalist and globalisation machinery too relentless?
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Maybe as a adjoinder, we had classism in Africa even before colonialists came racism. With the continent embracing the worst of capitalism as is evidenced by our corruption statistics, the classisim has only gotten worse. How do you intend to reverse this mindset at the cultural skills development center?
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Systems create themselves and pursue paths of their own making. If we want to work with a system to influence it’s direction, the place for us to work is deep in the dynamics of the system where identity is taking form and in this instance, the class identity.Every being and every system is an identity in motion, creating itself in the world and creating its world simultaneously. The identity of a system can turn in on itself and become rigid and closed. or the identity can move out in the world, exploring new ways of being. It is always the process of self creation that sets organizing in motion and holds the system to the shapes and behaviors that are visible to us. Changing what has come into form Class ism, capitalism, socialism etc we need to explore the self that created what we see in this systems. All changes require a change in the meaning that they the system is enacting. We look into the system’s identity, the self through which it perceives and creates. At the center we seek to awaken the self to their purpose and values and in turn we know all will realize their unique and special roles in our universe and humanity.
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I have a lot of hope that eventually nature will triumph over the existing man made systems that we presently have and falsely rule most of our lives. Though capitalism is not giving up yet, the truth is it will come to an end. It is a fact that sameness is not stability and a self changes when it changes its consciousness about itself and we are en route to this destination. The native ways and systems were never given a chance and yet we are always in the motion of self organizing. wherever their is freedom, we reach out to respond to a problem or to make something happen. we move to organize our world so that it satisfies us more. Life organizes itself and it will continue to do what its always been doing.
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You were hosted by people with ‘questionable’ careers during stints of your journey. Did you ever feel a conflict during these moments?
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I had set out to learn and here i was meeting the real person and seeing them for who they really are. Away from the social masks that they portray in public. I think most people living under the colonial and foreign defined ISM have questionable careers that have been justified by these systems. What justifies the existence of police, borders, teachers and “workers” if not for the survival of the system?
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Away, from the serious stuff, what do you do to unwind? What books have you been reading of recent? Movies? WHat does Miyere do for fun?
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