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The Green Maasai Troupe, a Kenyan community group, has recently been awarded a Peace Award at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) at the Maker-Majlis: Islam in a Global World.
Maker-Majlis is an innovative space where the focus is on a blend of global goals -- UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); Qatar National Vision 2030; and
Islam and Faith. The event was about localising the global goals and making them relevant to the Muslim world, especially Qatar. It also aimed at connecting the youth in Qatar to these global goals and make them relevant to their lives and aspirations.
The award had five categories including People, Planet, Prosperity, Partnership and Peace. The Kenyan group was awarded the Peace Award during the four-day event.
The group later handed over the award to the Kenyan Ambassador to Qatar HE Paddy C Ahenda, and Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Culture and Heritage Ambassador Dr Amina Mohamed when she visited Qatar.
The group plans many activities in future and has already started implementing some. The leader of the group, Zaccchaeus Njuguna, said they were grateful for being included in the four-day event by HBKU.
He said they have been volunteering in various activities at Qatar Foundation, which has been very fulfilling for them. “We were there at the exhibition for four days where we had several activities revolving around. We discussed with the students and the visitors about SDGs.”
They also got a chance to perform traditional songs during the opening and closing ceremonies of the event.
Njuguna said although they have been doing several activities on SDGs, this event provided them an opportunity to raise awareness to people of different backgrounds. “There were people from different communities, especially students.”
The award, he noted, comes with responsibilities. “We see ourselves as peace ambassadors and we have started hosting events to raise awareness about peace. We partner with groups from different communities.”
Njuguna thanked the Kenyan embassy for its support to the group.”
Talking at HBKU during the ceremony, Njuguna said he and his friends were among those affected by the post-election violence in Kenya in 2007 and 2008. “When we came to Qatar in 2011, it was a great opportunity for us to fill up the empty spaces created during the violence.”
He added, “We were the perfect people to understand what peace really means. SDGs play an important role in ensuring people are well cultivated and equipped from generation to generation. The idea of the group was to integrate our community and Qatar’s rich cultural heritage and other expatriates in the region.”
Peter Muturi Kimani, one of the group’s officials, said winning the award has brought a great responsibility on them. “The journey towards the project was not easy. Right from the moment the idea was conceived to the outline of the project, which was initiated later on until today, a lot of work has been done.”
Transforming the idea to the real output required a great deal of efforts and brought challenges in the way. “As Green Maasai Troupe, this award has motivated not only the members but also the entire Kenyan community as well as other communities in Qatar. Peace is paramount and this achievement will inspire more people in the region to embrace peace and tranquility.”
Ahenda said he was very proud of the group, which is a brand ambassador of Kenya.
For her part, the Cabinet Secretary said, “This is amazing.”
Maker-Majlis is an innovative space where the focus is on a blend of global goals -- UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); Qatar National Vision 2030; and
Islam and Faith. The event was about localising the global goals and making them relevant to the Muslim world, especially Qatar. It also aimed at connecting the youth in Qatar to these global goals and make them relevant to their lives and aspirations.
The award had five categories including People, Planet, Prosperity, Partnership and Peace. The Kenyan group was awarded the Peace Award during the four-day event.
The group later handed over the award to the Kenyan Ambassador to Qatar HE Paddy C Ahenda, and Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Sports, Culture and Heritage Ambassador Dr Amina Mohamed when she visited Qatar.
The group plans many activities in future and has already started implementing some. The leader of the group, Zaccchaeus Njuguna, said they were grateful for being included in the four-day event by HBKU.
He said they have been volunteering in various activities at Qatar Foundation, which has been very fulfilling for them. “We were there at the exhibition for four days where we had several activities revolving around. We discussed with the students and the visitors about SDGs.”
They also got a chance to perform traditional songs during the opening and closing ceremonies of the event.
Njuguna said although they have been doing several activities on SDGs, this event provided them an opportunity to raise awareness to people of different backgrounds. “There were people from different communities, especially students.”
The award, he noted, comes with responsibilities. “We see ourselves as peace ambassadors and we have started hosting events to raise awareness about peace. We partner with groups from different communities.”
Njuguna thanked the Kenyan embassy for its support to the group.”
Talking at HBKU during the ceremony, Njuguna said he and his friends were among those affected by the post-election violence in Kenya in 2007 and 2008. “When we came to Qatar in 2011, it was a great opportunity for us to fill up the empty spaces created during the violence.”
He added, “We were the perfect people to understand what peace really means. SDGs play an important role in ensuring people are well cultivated and equipped from generation to generation. The idea of the group was to integrate our community and Qatar’s rich cultural heritage and other expatriates in the region.”
Peter Muturi Kimani, one of the group’s officials, said winning the award has brought a great responsibility on them. “The journey towards the project was not easy. Right from the moment the idea was conceived to the outline of the project, which was initiated later on until today, a lot of work has been done.”
Transforming the idea to the real output required a great deal of efforts and brought challenges in the way. “As Green Maasai Troupe, this award has motivated not only the members but also the entire Kenyan community as well as other communities in Qatar. Peace is paramount and this achievement will inspire more people in the region to embrace peace and tranquility.”
Ahenda said he was very proud of the group, which is a brand ambassador of Kenya.
For her part, the Cabinet Secretary said, “This is amazing.”
