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Who cares for me?

Who cares for me?

In the Creative cowboy film Changing times a group of young Maasai girls; JOYLYN NASAU, SUSAN SISIAN, AGNES KINTA, ELIZABETH MPONINO and ALICE LANTOI, recite a poem written by EMMANUEL PARSIMEI SUPARE called Who cares for me? In their reading the Maasai girls capture the dreams and hopes of a young Maasai woman.

Here is EMMANUEL’S poem.

Who cares for me?

1

I’m just a girl child, it sounds good, but oh no!

To my father I’m just a source of income

To my mother who bore me

A beast of burden in the home

To my fellow pupils especially boys

A beautiful flower to be admired

And to the old men, ooh a juicy fruit

But to be eaten raw

2

It all started before I was born

When my mother received a harsh warning

Make sure you give birth to a boy

Little attention was paid to me after all

Girls like all women, are not to be noticed by the society

As I grew up I was always reminded, would you please sit like a woman

Talk like a woman, what crime did women commit

To suffer all through their lives?

3

When it was time to go to school

I rejoiced thinking that, this was the end of suffering

But to my great surprise I had been mistaken

Just like at home, girls in school do donkey work

They fetch water and collect firewood, smear or mop the floor, while boys are learning

Poor me who cares, I’m asking?

4

My mother makes me stay at home

While my brothers go to school

To a girl’s place is just but in the kitchen

Therefore one has to be trained thoroughly

Does she know I really hate this?

5

My parents want me to be circumcised

And I know it is wrong practice

Circumcision removes all the joys part of life

My people help me

For I’m just but only a girl child!

6

My father thinks of marrying me off

In order to get school fees for my brother

To him education for girls is meaningless

I have feelings for my education dad

Please let me complete my education dad!

Does he care about my feelings?

7

I have been assuming that

Marriage is a bed of roses and honey

But aah to a Maasai woman

It is like a small hell on Earth

To her husband, a property to release his frustrations

And her in-laws a beast of burden

Who cares? Maasai women want change!!!

Emmanuel Parsimei Supare