The White Masai

Carola, on holiday in Kenya with her boyfriend, encounters Lemalian, a Maasai warrior visiting in traditional dress. They quickly feel a strong attraction and begin to fall in love. At the airport, on the way home, she chooses to stay rather than return.

After their initial meeting, Lemalian travels to his home village in the Samburu District. Carola follows him and stays at the home of another German woman married to a Kenyan man. The two begin forming a bond in this unfamiliar setting.

Lemalian comes to meet Carola, and they begin living together as partners. They start building a life within the Kenyan community. Their daily life begins to center on their growing relationship.

Carola travels to Switzerland to sell her shop there and promises Lemalian that she will come back to him. She arranges the sale and commits to returning, creating a cross-border dynamic in their relationship. This marks a turning point toward potential permanent ties.

The couple marries and have a daughter named Sarai, cementing their family unit. Their life expands from romance into parenthood and shared responsibilities. The family begins to navigate the cultural and logistical differences between two countries.

Carola buys a car and starts a shop, but money is tight. Lemalian argues that outside money should ease local pressures, yet the two grapple with credit to friends and bribes to officials. Financial stress tests their partnership and resilience.

The mini-chief demands that Carola hire his teenage nephew as a shop assistant. She reluctantly accepts the arrangement, despite recognizing the boy's lack of work ethic. The request highlights the tension between local authority and her management decisions.

The nephew drinks beer and neglects his duties, prompting Carola to fire him. He returns and attacks her, escalating the conflict. A local judge rules that Carola must pay two goats to the nephew’s family, while the family must compensate her with five goats for the assault.

Carola becomes frustrated by the practice of female circumcision and wishes to stop it. She faces resistance because the tradition is deeply rooted in the community. Her stance underscores the clash between her modern views and local customs.

Carola helps a pregnant woman in labor with a breech birth, but Lemalian refuses to assist, citing the woman as bewitched. The incident exposes the gulf between medical pragmatism and local beliefs. It strains their relationship further.

Lemalian becomes jealous and suspicious of Carola’s interactions with other men, even in friendly service to customers. He worries about her fidelity and autonomy. His possessiveness hints at deeper insecurities and potential conflict.

Carola expresses a desire to return to Switzerland with Sarai for a two-week holiday. She frames it as a necessary break, triggering doubt about her commitment. The request foreshadows a potential permanent departure.

After some hesitation, Lemalian signs a form giving Carola consent to take Sarai out of Kenya for the trip. He remains suspicious that she may not return. The official consent concludes the timeline with a note of potential separation.