In 1986, Hofmann and her boyfriend Marco made a trip to Kenya. There, she met a Samburu wĂ rrior named Lketinga Leparmorijo and instantly found him irresistible. She left Marco, went back to Switzerland to sell her possessions, and, in 1987, returned to Kenya, determined to find Lketinga, which she eventually did. The couple moved in together, married, and had a daughter.
Hofmann moved into her mother-in-law's manyatta (compound) and learned to live as a Samburu woman, fetching wood and water. She opened a small shop in the village, to sell basic goods.
Hofmann suffered several hĂ rdships, including disĂšases (mainly malaria) and marital problems. Increasingly paranoid jealousy from her husband, possibly a side effect of his addiÄtion to the d.rug khat (miraa), severely dĂ maged her relationship, and in 1990 she decided to return to Switzerland for good, taking her daughter with her. Later on, she wrote a book about her experiences. The book, titled The White Massai, became a phenomenal success. It has been translated into several languages, and in 2005, made into an eponymous movie starring Nina Hoss and Jacky Ido.
She returned to visit her Samburu family for the first time in 2004. Another visit followed, this time in the company of the daughter she had with Lketinga. The reunion is described in Afrika, meine Passion.
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