By:Betty Luke
Root and Reconnection Founder Dr Lisa Aubrey takes part in a Turkana community’s dance during their visit to Ngaremara Women Cultural center in Isiolo. PHOTO/Kilele Media
A delegation of African diaspora visitors on the inaugural Global African Pilgrimage to Kenya has visited the Ngaremara Women Cultural Centre in Isiolo County, where they explored opportunities to partner with local communities, support cultural preservation and empower widows.
The delegation under Roots and Reconnection, a non-profit organisation dedicated to reconnecting Africans in the diaspora with their ancestral heritage, met members of the women’s group and discussed ways of building long-term partnerships with the community.
“It gives us great pleasure to continue reconnecting Africans in the diaspora with their roots. We decided to come to a women’s group to see how we can partner and work together with communities,” said Roots and Reconnection founder Dr. Lisa Aubrey.
Isiolo Gender Watch Executive Director Grace Lolim, who linked the delegation with the women hailed the initiative as a meaningful show of compassion towards widows trying to navigate impact of climate change, hard economic times and harmful cultural practices including disinheritance.
Lolim said many widows in northern Kenya continued to struggle due to retrogressive cultural practices and years of marginalization noting such partnerships can strengthen cultural preservation while creating opportunities to improve livelihoods.
“Such partnerships not only support individuals but go a long way in ensuring women have an opportunity to fed for their families, speak for themselves and reclaim their rights,” said Ms Lolim.
Although Roots Reconnection was formally registered as a non-profit organisation ten years ago, reconnecting Africans in Diaspora with their ancestry had been ongoing for much longer.Previous pilgrimages had taken participants to other African countries including Cameroon.
Dr. Aubrey said their first visit to Kenya held a special significance because conversations about the trans-Atlantic slave trade had largely focused on Central and West Africa, with little attention given to people whose ancestors may have been taken from East Africa.
She noted that her previous research had also highlighted Bimbia in Cameroon as an important but lesser-known departure point during the slave trade.
Among the visitors was Willie Hine, whose 36-year search for his identity culminated in DNA results confirming he is 99 per cent Maasai.
“I’m happy to get home and understand that these are my people,” Hine said. He was later formally welcomed into the Maasai community during an emotional traditional ceremony in Nairobi.
Hine said his family was equally excited by the discovery and expressed hope that the journey would help build a lasting bridge between Africa and its diaspora through stronger cultural and community ties.