Today, I’m going to discuss a movie based on a true story called “The White Massai.” Swiss tourists Carola and her fiancé Stefan embark on a two-week holiday in Kenya, where they immerse themselves in the local culture and traditions. On their final day, Stefan introduces Carola to two Massai warriors, and she instantly becomes infatuated with one of them named Lemalian.
In the city, they encounter a local named Coolio who attempts to rob them, but they are saved by the same Massai warriors they met earlier. Grateful for their help, Carola and Stefan are escorted to the ferry by the Massai warriors. However, they end up missing their bus to the hotel. Undeterred, the Massai warriors arrange for a local taxi to take them on a different route. Near their hotel, a local photographer takes their picture, and Carola invites the Massai warriors to join them for a drink as a gesture of gratitude. Despite being denied entry by the guards, Carola remains determined and convinces Stefan to accompany her to a local disco. There, she dances with Lemalian, the man she has taken a liking to, which ignites jealousy in Stefan. He eventually takes her back to the hotel.
Throughout the night, Carola can’t stop thinking about the man she met. The next day, when she sees a photo of herself and Lemalian on display, she decides to take the photo with her. On the way to the airport, she contemplates her decision and ultimately chooses to stay in Kenya with Lemalian, as she has fallen deeply in love with him. Stefan, realizing her true feelings, respects her choice and returns to Switzerland alone.
Carola searches everywhere for Lemalian, but she discovers that he has already returned to his native village in the Samburu region. His friend provides her with directions on how to reach the village through transfers. After a day of bus rides, Carola arrives in Morally City. There, she meets a woman named Elizabeth who explains that the Massai people live not far from there, in the bar Savory Town. Elizabeth informs Carola that according to their customs, Lemalian must come to pick her up, so she asks her husband for permission to stay with them until Lemalian arrives. For ten days, Carola lives with Elizabeth.
One day, Lemalian learns about her presence and comes to meet her. Silently, he takes her to the hotel where he stayed with his friends and asks them to leave the room. When they are alone, Lemalian behaves rudely with Carola, disappointing her. As a result, Carola decides to leave the hotel. However, Lemalian later finds her and invites her to stay with him. He brings the white girl to his tribe, where his mother scolds him for his impulsive actions but eventually invites Carola into her hut. Lemalian introduces her to the local women and leaves for work.
During her stay, Carola witnesses Lemalian and the other men ritually slaughtering a goat. Lemalian returns to her at night and immediately falls asleep. In the morning, he treats her to goat meat for breakfast. Carola is shown the bathing place of the tribe and takes a local bath. The couple spends time together, and Carola teaches Lemalian to be gentle.
One day, Carola meets Pastor Missionary Bernardo, who lives nearby, but he regards the presence of a white girl in the tribe skeptically. Later, Carola has an unpleasant encounter with the mini chef, who insists that she must register urgently if she wants to stay. The couple travels to the capital to the migration department. In order for both of them to be allowed inside, they have to go to the market to buy new clothes for Lemalian. After completing the registration process, they spend time together in the city.
Carola, having taught Lemalian, is reassured by him that they should now have a baby, to which she happily agrees. She calls her mother and informs her about her decision to stay in Kenya. Carola asks her mother to send money from the proceeds of her clothing store in Switzerland.
The next day, after receiving the money, Carola buys a slightly used pickup truck to bring numerous other Massai people back home. On the way, the women express their discontent about a man not driving, so Lemalian is forced to switch places with Carola. She teaches him the rules of driving, and although he starts off well, he eventually crashes into a tree. An angry Carola starts yelling at him, and Lemalian, feeling offended, leaves. However, Carola quickly stops him and apologizes.
Sometime later, Carola informs her husband that she needs to go to Switzerland to say goodbye to her relatives and sell her store. Lemalian allows her to go, and Carola promises to return quickly so they can get married. Upon arriving in Switzerland, Carola shares everything with her mother, which leads to the closure of the store. Seeing Stefan with a new girlfriend gives Carola more confidence in her decision to move to Kenya.
Carola returns to the joyful Lemalian and presents everyone with gifts from the city. On the day of the wedding, she asks Pastor Bernard to attend, but he remains skeptical. However, on the wedding night, he changes his mind. One day, Carola visits Elizabeth and shares the news of her pregnancy and plans to open a store to supply local residents with various goods. Lemalian strongly objects, but Carola explains that it’s necessary since they can’t survive on sugar and goat meat alone.
At that moment, a Massai person rushes into the room and shouts that one of the tribe’s girls is having difficulties giving birth. Carola arrives to find a problematic birth, but everyone refuses to help, believing the girl is bewitched. They load her into the pickup truck, and although Lemalian reluctantly agrees to assist, he leaves immediately afterward.
Unfortunately, Carola is unable to take the woman to the hospital, and she dies on the way. On the opening day of the store, Lemalian becomes jealous of his wife’s interactions with the supplier. The Mini Chef demands that Carola hire his teenage nephew as a sales clerk, and she reluctantly agrees, even though they don’t get along and he doesn’t work much.
The store’s opening is successful, but in the evening, the pastor advises Carola not to make eye contact with customers to avoid misunderstandings. A few months later, Lemalian comes to the store and starts yelling, claiming that her lover was just there and even doubts that she’s carrying his child. However, his mother explains the truth to him in the evening, and he apologizes to his wife.
The next day, the Mini Chef asks Carola for food on credit, citing that Lemalian always does this. Carola discovers that they are losing a lot of money in the store, as Lemalian has been distributing goods on credit to neighbors and relatives in her absence. Despite Lemalian’s belief that they have plenty of money in Switzerland, Carola argues with him and asks him not to do it again.
As the time for childbirth approaches, Carola realizes that the local midwives may only worsen the situation. Therefore, Pastor Bernardo arranges for a plane to transport her to Nairobi and qualified specialists at the Kenya Medical University. In the morning, Bernardo informs Lemalian that everything is fine with his wife, but he remains unaware of the child.
The Massai people embark on a journey on foot and hitchhike to the capital to find Carola in the ward with their daughter, whom they name Sarai. When they return to the store later, they find it almost devastated, and Carola must pay a bribe to the Mini Chef for permission to promote her business.
Following these events, Carola stops giving goods on credit and also dismisses the idle nephew of the Mini Chef. However, a man named Mike Boyd comes to their home with the intention of harming Carola.
However, he is stopped and knocked down by an awakened Lemalian in the morning. The local judge rules that Carola must pay two goats to the Mini Chef for firing his nephew, but the boy’s family must pay her five goats as compensation for the attack. This court decision pleases Carola.
In the evening, Lemalian appears sad. He mentions how he used to help her in the store and now he also takes care of her goats. He feels like he has lost his manhood. Carola is unhappy with the practice of female circumcision in the village and wants to put an end to it. However, it’s a deeply ingrained tradition that is not easy to change.
Carola, along with her daughter and husband, moves to another house closer to the store. Despite this, Lemalian continues to be tormented by jealousy. He starts confronting and accusing customers, believing that they are Carola’s lovers. He even contemplates harming the person he suspects.
One night, Lemalian takes his daughter to the tribe and then throws a miscarried goat at the hut, screaming that they are cursed because of Carola’s betrayals. This leads to a physical altercation between them, with Carola fighting back. Eventually, the men intervene and separate them.
In the morning, Lemalian cuts off his long hair changes his clothes, and goes to Carola’s shop. He asks if she will now start respecting him. He then accuses the pastor of being his wife’s lover. The following day, Carola tells her husband that she wants to go to Switzerland for a couple of weeks to introduce their daughter to her parents. The tribe escorts Carola and her daughter, while Lemalian hesitates to sign the consent for their departure. Ultimately, as they stand in front of the bus, Lemalian reluctantly accepts that Carola will never return to him and signs the necessary documents.
The Messiah warrior returns to his familiar world, while Carola and her daughter return to Switzerland, where they live happily. The movie ends on a hopeful note.
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