Italian
The Plains of the Serengeti
Our goal… we achieved it! We managed to witness and experience the extraordinary event of the “Great Migration”! We were certainly lucky, but also the meticulous planning of the trip, the timing, the experience of the excellent guides and… patience played no small part. We resume our journey in this wonderful land heading south. The guides have prepared a special itinerary so that while moving we will still have the opportunity to continue our safari.
Endless plains. Then come the famous “Simba Kopjes”, small hills made of large granite boulders among which rise beautiful sycamores and euphorbias. It’s one of the lions’ favorite places. And indeed, we almost immediately spot two lionesses comfortably lying down, purring atop a large rock smoothed by water and wind… Lionesses are symbols of strength, intelligence, boldness, courage… they are generally the ones who hunt while the males defend the territory. They nurse their young up to 3 years of age, creating a valuable synergy with other females and employing an incredible strategy to protect the offspring. I hear the radio crackle: from one of our jeeps they tell us to join them because there seems to be a hunting scene in progress.
We rush to the spot just in time to see a large cloud of dust—perhaps antelopes on the run? As we get closer the guide shouts, “Buffalos, buffalos, lions are hunting buffalos!” There are so many. Suddenly they stop and look at us closely… The guide peers through the binoculars and exclaims: “There, under that big acacia tree, some lions down there have caught something”… We move in and from just a few meters away we witness the feast of a lion pride that has just taken down a large buffalo.
Lions and lionesses lick the buffalo’s skin, savoring the bite before tearing off large chunks of meat that they eat greedily. But around them are also several nursing cubs, who amusingly imitate the adults trying to bite the hide, climbing on the buffalo only to slip off. Instinct is making its way. After the meal, lions and lionesses lie in the sun, exhausted. The carcass will be scavenged by hyenas and jackals during the night, and tomorrow it will be the turn of the vultures. As for the lions, they can easily go without eating for a week before hunting again. In the animal kingdom, the obsession with more, more, more is absent—a trait that sadly permeates much of the human race.
We leave the lions to their well-earned siesta and return once again to the endless plain.
There are animals everywhere running as we pass. A few hours later we reach an area where, not far from the road, there are several villages of the Masai people. We decide to visit one. The Masai (Maasai) are one of the best-known peoples of East Africa, classified as “Southern Nilotes.” This population still offers the image of a culture rich in original elements and a predominantly pastoral economy, though they also have a tradition of great warriors. The livestock of the Masai herders consists mainly of humped cattle (zebus), sheep, goats, and donkeys. Raising these animals provides the staple food for young warriors. They feed almost exclusively on milk, meat, and bovine blood. The latter is extracted from the cattle by drawing blood with an arrow and drunk warm, either alone or mixed with milk. Beef is usually reserved for ritual feasts. Everyone consumes a lot of honey. Tobacco is forbidden to warriors but permitted for women and elders.
Their clothing today includes a red cloak for men and a blue one for women, though in the past these garments were mainly made of leather. Both wear heavy iron earrings that stretch the earlobes, ornaments for the head, bracelets, anklets, and for women, the unmistakable “plate-shaped” beaded necklace.
The Masai still try to preserve traditions, customs, and habits, appearing very conservative and protective of their socio-cultural structures.
We stop in front of the village and a group of people in traditional dress comes out to greet us. We speak with the village chief who is happy to let us visit the village, but first they perform a dance together. They sing and walk in a single file in a circle. Then the women stop, clapping their hands and swaying their colorful neckpieces, while the men move into the center alternately and jump in turn, trying to leap ever higher.
They involve us in their dances, but I’m sure we appear awkward and clumsy. After the ritual, they invite us to enter the village.
A tall fence of thorny shrubs protects the village from predator intrusions. We enter through the only access point. The huts, neatly aligned and called inganghi or magnata, are built with branches and foliage entirely covered with clay and cow dung, similar to the huts of herders in other areas of East Africa. They have a rectangular shape and can only be accessed by bending through an elbow-shaped extension where the door is located.
The village chief invites us into his hut. Past the door, we find ourselves in a single room with raised mud beds on the sides, about thirty centimeters off the ground, topped with blankets and skins.
The central part is used for cooking and the fire, which is almost always lit. The smoke escapes through a small makeshift opening allowing air to circulate. The smell of smoke is very strong. Everywhere there are utensils, terracotta and wooden bowls, and I also notice a terracotta jar containing a grain supply.
Back outside, some women approach offering handmade crafts and jewelry. They are very well made and will certainly be a beautiful souvenir once we return home.
A strong wind blows. Seeing some Masai wrapped in their colorful cloaks moving about, blending into the dust, is truly evocative. All around is nothingness, only endless space.
We resume our journey and after a few hours reach our tented camp.
A hot shower is especially appreciated in the context we are in. Then, like every evening, we sit around the campfire to share the day’s experiences and contemplate the marvelous clear sky filled with bright stars.
Lying in the tent, the silence is deep, but just before falling asleep I hear again tonight, clearly in the distance, a roar.
