I always feel healthier there and the community is very much focused on children and family.'. I knew Rempesa and I were over for good but I missed his children. We were so happy when we had our little boy together and all I want to do is keep them happy and secure.". This persuaded British colonial policymakers in 1951 to evacuate all Maasai from the Serengeti . After one school says it is families' responsibility to police their children's social media spats, Jenni My Daily Horoscope: What does March 2nd hold for MY star sign? A married Masai woman can only have sex with men from the same age group. As he spoke little English, Joyce helped translate for Rebekah so they could build their relationship and even played the Backstreet Boys hit As Long As You Love me so they could all sing along to make her feel at home. 'I went to go and meet his family and they gave me the name Nashipai,' she said. William the coach? Women are still married off at 16, for example, but are no longer circumcised. 'I remember him saying "I love you" to me and at first I just saw it as friendly, but my feelings started to grow,' she said. and They still hope to have a bigger Maasai celebration - which will have more family and tribesman coming together (pictured withMaasai tribesmen). ", Get email updates with the day's biggest stories. - Stephanie Fuchs found her Maasai lover in 2011 during a research camp in Tanzania, - The two decided to start living together in 2012 in Masai Steppe and they are currently parents to one son, - The 34-year-old said she loves her husband and is proud of the life they have built together, Pay Attention: Join TUKO.co.ke Telegram channel! The pair are now planning a second wedding to celebrate their victory and seal their love forever. The proceeds from the venture go towards supporting her family and the community. Christina fell for Juma as he performed a Kenyan tribal dance in the Lincolnshire resort of Cleethorpes in 2006. She was an innocent 16-year-old student from Cleethorpes while he was a Maasai warrior almost twice her age, living in a hut in Mombasa, Kenya. She also found it challenging having little alone time with her partner - for he was always surrounded by other warriors. Cradling their son , Rebekah says: I want Lawrence to be in his life, but I fear he sees me more as his mother than his girlfriend. In an interview with Globstory, Stephanie said in as much as she had to learn about the Maasai culture, beliefs and traditions, her husband too had to learn her way of life in order to bring balance in their marriage. Martha Cliff for MailOnline Rebekah met his dad in October, 2012, while working at the Maddermarket Theatre in Norwich. He confessed his feelings for her and their relationship became physical. 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. says Christina, remembering the happy moment. In order for a child to become an adult and gain respect they must complete the agonizing circumcision. I suppose it didnt help that I was basically his stepmum before we got together. However, the pair still planned a proper ceremony where Rebekah would spend the night before the wedding with a village elder before being led to her dress. He met her and married her and brought her back to his home. By now Christina was pregnant with their son Selim, now four, so they appealed the decision and Juma was given an extended visa for two years. Maasai warriors wearing red and women wearing beads have come to be seen as symbols of "traditional" Africa. It led to her visiting them in Kisames, a village without running water or electricity an hours drive from Nairobi. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. Saitoty asked Deborah to send him the photo and then kept in touch with her after he had her number. We moved in there in January 2012.. But when Joyce, mother of Rempesas five children, died of an accidental overdose, the villagers blamed the English outsider. I was stunned. Rebekah's ex husband Massai warrior Rempesa ole Kirkoya, Rebekah and ex husband Massai warrior Rempesa ole Kirkoya, Rebekah Adams married a Masai warrior and then had a baby with his son. Their lives centre around their cattle, which are their primary source of food and an important measure of wealth and success. Now many of the things that I used to find difficult have become an integrated part of my life, she said. 'It is hurtful but I know how happy with are and how untrue that is. In what hopeless romantics would like to call 'love at first sight', Stephanie was utterly smitten by the man's height and beautiful eyes from the moment she laid her eyes on him. 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. We found ourselves in his bedroom having sex. She says: I began to wonder if Id feel like I had two children instead of one when the baby arrived. Rebekah said the other villagers blamed her tor the incident but despite threats she and Rempesa kept their relationship alive. They also make traditional jewellery to sell which again gives them an income. 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. Here we go again! 'People ask if I adopted him or that I'm his grandma which can make Saitoty upset. Lawrence told me he wanted a family and I got swept along and agreed to start trying for a baby. My last dress was borrowed from one of Jumas friends and had to be pulled in with a bow at the back because it was too big for me. As part of her cultural tourism project, Ms Fuchs teaches guests about the Maasai culture and gets them to participate in the traditional dancing if they desire. A writer with progressive mindset; one who takes pride in masterminding content that promotes positive news, projecting individual and group achievements to motivate and set good social examples. ', Shewasn't expecting to fall in love when she met her now-husband, Saitoty Babu, 30, (left) while travelling in Tanzania with her daughter, Royce, 30, in October 2017, Deborah she 'couldn't be happier' and now believes 'the best things come from' doing things which are 'outside of your comfort zone'. The two bonded over a beach walk the next evening, but Deborah didn't see it going any further because of the age gap. 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. The armed British troops who drove the Maasai from their lands in the early 20th century had great respect for these fearless tribesmen. II puts it: "In these fine pastures, in fact, the central Maasai sections succeededin pursuing the pastoral ethic to its ultimate extreme" (323).The irregular rainfall of the inland zones of Kenya and Tanzania had meant that the Maasai were obliged to focus on stock-raising . Although heartbroken and grieving, Rebekah craved Kenyan village life again and wanted to be back with Arya's family. Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? They live in the southern part of Kenya and the northern part of Tanzania. We are proof that true love conquers all.". She said her mother-in-law has also been asking her to have more children and though she also gets the similar pressure from the society, her husband has never pestered her or treated her indifferently because she has one child. She met Rempesa, then 37, when the group came to the theatre where she worked in Norwich in 2012. So I suggested to him that we should try and make a life in his traditional Maasai family home in the Masai Steppe. The couple who have been married for over three years defied all odds and limits to be the happy family that they are today. To look at the Hassans you would think they are just like any other modern British family. In that moment I saw only him he was taller than the others and had the most beautiful eyes, she told the Standard. As per local beliefs, the Maasai originally . Ms Fuchs concluded: "I love Tanzania, I love the Maasai and I believe their beautiful ancient culture is worthy of preservation.". 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 do want Lawrence to meet him, but I wonder how long it will take.. 'We talked for hours and found out we had so much in common like our sense of humour.'. In their nine years of marriage, Stephanie's husband has never married another woman as most Maasai men do and she hopes it will remain that way because he is the reason that she found her new life in Maasai land. Football-mad Prince of Wales shares his Princess Charlene takes Paris! "For a few months I divided my time between Kenya and the UK. She added: 'Saitoty asked for me to send the photo to him and we kept in touch after he had my number and the next night he came for a walk with my daughter and I. Christina said, "We missed each other terribly. I havent had the best experience with Maasai men but I could never rule out dating another, she says. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. I knew I did not want to live anywhere else. Rebekah OBrien moved from East Anglia to Kenya, where she shared her husband with his existing wife, Joyce. Deborah Babu, 60, did not expect to fall in love when she met her now-husband, Saitoty Babu, 30, of the Maasai tribe, while traveling through Tanzania with their daughter, Royce, 30, in October 2017. 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. Read our, {{#verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}}. Stephanie also explained she is very close to her in-laws and most especially her mother-in-law whom she described as the "kindest, super-intelligent and most-hardworking woman that I have ever met". Not enough good questions were asked though. Some of the well-hidden secrets of this warrior tribe found in East Africa has attracted hoards of white women tourists who go to Africa with only one mission in mind, and that is to find a real Masai warrior for a companion. At around age 30, junior morans become senior warriors and re-integrate with the rest of the tribe. 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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 are one of the last great warrior cultures in the world and live in the most famous game reserve in the world: the Masai Mara. With this beatiful interview, Stephanie opens a door for us on a way of life we know very little about, and shares her feelings and challenges but mostly her love for the man she has married, and the beautiful land he comes from. We just like to focus on us and our happiness.'. 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. But instead of a reunion with her husband, she ended up having a fling the warrior's 19-year-old son Lawrence, who was still at school. I wanted to stay in Tanzania. While on Mafia Island she spotted a group of tall, beautiful herdsman who follow the ancient tradition of shepherding cattle through the African savannah. She said: 'It was a total shock but she was very troubled.' London Bridge overcrowding: Give TfL control of Southeastern trains, Motorist fined 650 after council paints disabled bay around his car. He can also get married to as many women as he likes, as the Maasai practice polygamy. I would be his main wife and they were just friends.. '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. . In the final months of her pregnancy, she andRempesa broke up and Rebekah faced tragedy alone. They are kind, generous and even-tempered and hold an ancient wisdom from which many of us in the western world could learn a lot.. Pictured: Rebekah with her son Kito . They now have a son and Ms Fuchs has set up projects to help people in her community. The Maasai warriors traditionally have braided hair, which is dyed with red ochre. Rebekah recalled: 'When my friend came out, she gave me a knowing look, and now, looking back, that was the moment I started falling for him. "And then there was Sokoine, who had become my boyfriend and who I did not want to leave. But the future that she sketched out for herself and Rempesa wasn't to be. Amazingly, when she first met him he already had a wife, Joyce, who welcomed her into the fold and gave their relationship her blessing. Healthy mother-of-two, 32, collapsed and died from brain bleed while she led fitness bounce class. I am glad to have you read me always. Young Nairobi mother narrates journey from garbage collector to owning garbage trucks. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, Rebekah ended up pregnant by village butcher Rempesa's 19-year-old son Lawrence, The theatre worker met Rempesa when his dancing group performed in Norwich, Rebekah said there was instant chemistry between them, even though they couldn't speak each other's languages, Rebekah went to live in a hut with no electricity or running water in a village in Kenya, After their traditional wedding she fell pregnant, but broke up with Rempesa before the childs birth, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). 680 Words3 Pages. "The next morning the doorbell went and there, standing on the doorstep, was a bearded postman who gave me the letter and said, 'I think this is for your husband.' MED student from Ewuaso Kedong' in the Rift Valley of Kenya. Now I have Kito I cant afford to fork out hundreds to him, she says. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. RM B6PC43 - portrait female maasai-mara. It could be frustrating, but I worked out Rempesa wanted me to be his wife. But sadly, it wasnt the happy ending Rebekah craved. 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. 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Woman narrates how she welcomed and cooked for her husband's lover without knowing. It was incredible.. 'Age is just a number and it doesn't stop the love and care I have for my wife.'. 'My eldest daughter, Tiffany, 32, and son, Sherrick, 27, met him on FaceTime and loved him. In fact, the Maasai were Kenya's dominant ethnic group until British colonial rule, which lasted from 1895 until 1963. There were three such uprisings-in 1918, 1922 and 1935. 'He is so funny and romantic and we're exactly the same on the inside. 10th Dec, 2016. 'It's a very different life here in Tanzania but I'm happy. I'm proud of our marriage. Her now-husband was in the company of another Maasai warrior when they saw her taking the photos of a woman . 'But my children and family said I shouldn't care about the age gap as I'd been alone long enough and deserved to be happy. After the baby also tragically died six weeks after being born, she once again returned to Kenya. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. She hoped that with other traditional celebrations they would receive gifts from the villagers such as a chicken or a cow. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Rebekah grew close to the couples children, but when Joyce died from an accidental overdose in January 2014, the village turned against her. In a hastily put-together wedding in February 2010, Christina, then 19, wore a borrowed wedding dress two sizes too big and friends and family had a whip-round for food and flowers. Rempesa and his Osiligi warrior troupe came to put on a performance of their songs and dances and she was so fascinated by them that when one of the women she met invited her to visit Kenya. They wear beaded necklaces, ornaments and capes ( shukas) made of cowhide. Check your inbox to be the first to know the hottest news. ', 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. It will be extra special because our little boy will be beside us and our future ahead of us. In January 2014, as Rebekah settled into her new life, Joyce, died of an accidental overdose. After having a Maasai wedding in June 2018 - a traditional ceremony - the couple had a legal wedding in July 2022.