I was back in Africa, reminded of the Masai women, of their great bright necklaces, of bracelets intricately woven of telephone wire.

"Moi is not a bad man, but it is his servants who are bad," said Olerisa Leintoy, a 40-year-old Masai woman.

Long blue beads, the color of the sky, are worn by married Masai women.

Tepilit would question her about her interest in Masai women and why she seemed so concerned with their unremarkable tasks.

To the Editor: Your Dec. 2 "Ngorongoro Journal" reports on the status of Masai women, who still do a disproportionate part of the work, but who now have advocates for their rights.

They include portraits of Masai women, Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, a Pangale elder, celebrities and anonymous soldiers, graduates, children, dancers, merchants, ballplayers.

"I had a son killed by elephants two years ago and a brother killed by the water buffalo," said Nolemonya Kashingo, a 55-year-old Masai woman.

He joined Masai women in Kenya for a dipping, swaying dance.

He believes that the income from the crafts will give the Masai women a new independence.

Ms. Ensler's transformation - mental, not physical - begins on a trip to Africa, where she meets a 74-year-old Masai woman who's fighting female genital mutilation.