Boots Don't Lie by Mariam Mpaata

Foreword by Majken Gilmartin

Mariam Mpaata

My second conversation with Mariam was her calling me while walking back from her first team practice with the Soccer Divas—the team she had signed up to play in our Global Goals World Cup in Nairobi in early 2017. “The Soccer Divas from Mombasa need to get in shape”, she said. When you arrive at the part about the Soccer Divas in the book, imagine you are seeing a field with two teams engaged in a lively match and listen as you read, how they laugh and encourage each other, how they dare to play full-on, how they completely trust each other in every move, every pass and every sound. 

None of these teammates grew up playing, yet they throw themselves into the most joyful game of football. Imagine the sound of the most thrilling match you’ve ever witnessed and you have some idea of what it feels like reading “Boots Don’t Lie”. Two seconds into the call she turned on the camera and showed me a small roadside stand where a woman was growing small plants with almost no water. “I walk by this woman every day, but for the first time I see what she does. This is what you mean right? Getting all of us to see we can all do something for the Global Goals, and as a football team.” 

Ever since then we have had endless calls plotting, solving and growing as women and as friends. We are finding ways to trust ourselves as players, teammates, coaches, inventors and leaders, both inside the world of sport as well as outside of it. 

Mariam is a fierce person, guided by a strong trusting and playful nature. She does not laugh to hide, she laughs to create moments for us all, to spread encouragement and kindness to create a place large enough for everyone to grow.

After that second call I knew I had met someone special. After GGWCUP Nairobi 2017 I told Mariam that I hoped that one day she would bring the Global Goals World Cup back to East Africa. Two years passed before one day Mariam bursted out with, “Okay I have no idea how, but let's do it!” I cried, maybe because I often do, but the strength of working together creating a women's activist football tournament is strength. That's the feeling for me. Being strong lies in these friendships with women in work and at play. 

Mariam's story is an inspiration and celebrates the many journeys life takes us on. You will cry, laugh, get pissed off and become stronger with her. You will hopefully also go out and create a team of fierce and amazing women that you will play alongside and create change with. Find that mix of being physically active together and then plotting out the things you want to change—and then changing them. The magic of having a team.

Mariam has the Soccer Divas in Mombasa and the Global Goals World Cup movement of teams from every corner of the world. It's together with them that I write this with love to our fellow activist players.  

We love you deeply and are crazy proud of being on your team.

Majken Gilmartin