This Village In Kenya Banned Men From Entering It

The world is full of polar opposites. We have a south vs. north, hot vs. cold, young vs. old, male vs. female. The everlasting battle between them rages on and it doesn’t look like it might end anytime soon.

The process of globalization paints a picture of a uniform world, where there is a balance between everything, but the real world is far from it. Women all over the world are still fighting for their rights to have access to education, to earn the same amount of salary, and even in some parts of the world - to get through life and not be treated like someone’s property.

There is a village in the north of Kenya in Africa where a group of women in 1990 decided to up the game by creating an all-female village where they can seek protection from the men in the surrounding areas. All of them have at least once in their lives fallen victim to men’s unwanted advances and/or their local communities’ rituals. The beliefs in these areas are that the women should be treated as property, and Umoja allows for these practices to stop.

The land is owned by the women and it’s refuge to up to 50 women and around 200 children. They are protected by a wall of thorns and their main income is the beaded jewelry they make and sell to tourists. The surrounding tribes try to sabotage their little haven but it has always been unsuccessful. This safe environment has spurred the creation of other communities like this one throughout Kenya.