Kenya's lacrosse team: The game's sleeping warriors

By Banuturaki Musinguzi

The true story of Africa’s first women’s lacrosse team to compete in a world championship premiered on MyMovies Africa on September 1.

The award-winning documentary titled Sleeping Warrior tells the story of the struggle the Kenyan Lacrosse Women’s U19 National Team went through to compete in this little known sport.

The film, shot in 2019, follows the lives of the young women and their journey from Kenya to Canada; how the opportunity transforms their lives, from getting a passport for the first time; discovering how their friends and families react and ultimately how the sport changes their lives.

The 92-minute documentary traces their journey from Rift Valley in Kenya to the 2019 World Lacrosse Women’s U19 World Championship held in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. It is a life changing journey that required courage, self-belief and vision. The team overcame limited resources and training opportunities in order to achieve their dream.

Coached by Storm Tretham in Canada, the Kenyan team also achieved another first with their first 17-1 victory over Jamaica; and later put up a competitive display against Germany, Israel and China. They finished 18th out of 22 teams and earned the respect of fellow competitors.

This article orignally appeared in The East African.

Photo: Courtesy