Seeking health and finding collective joy under lockdown: The COVID-19 meat camp among maasai of Southern Kenya

Abstract

The olpul (pl. ilpuli) is a gathering of Maasai men who spend several days or weeks in a secluded wooded area slaughtering livestock and consuming large quantities of meat and medicinal plants to strengthen themselves. During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, ilpuli and associated celebrations multiplied and were enthusiastically adhered to by Maasai (agro)pastoralists of southern Kenya, even as social interactions were criminalised. This study, based on digital and field-based collaborative research in the Maasai Mara and Loita, Narok County, examines the characteristics of ilpuli le corona – the meat camps that emerged during the lockdown. We show that Maasai sought immunity and nutrition in ilpuli and found communitas – the sense of intense social bonding and collective joy that can emerge during disasters. We show that participation in ilpuli le corona and their wider social dynamics dispelled anxieties, promoted a reconnection with Maasai norms and pastoral values, and built resilience to future calamities.