The Words of Salangat ole Mako

On the Run for In Vain Trying to Tell the Truth to the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights that Never Came

Themes: Indigenous people, Livlihoods, Pastoralists, Poverty

Salangat ole Mako has in his own words become a – nightly - grass thief in his own land. He is a Maasai pastoralist and a small-scale commercial cultivator of vegetables and fruits in Ololosokwan village in Loliondo. As lobbied for by OBC, that organizes hunting for Sheikh Mohammed of Dubai, 75% of his, and everyone’s, grazing land has brutally and lawlessly been taken by the Tanzanian government for a “protected area”, and then there have been threats of taking his farm. On 25th January, Salangat was waiting in vain for a much shambolic and government co-opted visit by the African Commission of Human and People’s Rights (I hope to very soon post a blog post about this). A brief clip of what he would have wanted to tell the Commission was shared online. The following day the Officer Commanding Ngorongoro District came to Ololosokwan to say that the gathering waiting for the international organization had not had a permit and that Salangat had been talking thrash. Then Salangat received more threats and fled to Kenya.

Community wildlife conservation isn’t always a win-win solution:

The case of Kenya’s Samburu

Themes: Conservation, Indigenous people, Pastoralists, Parks, NGOs

Community-based wildlife conservation is often promoted as a win-win solution. The idea behind this approach is that the people who live close to wildlife can be involved in protecting it and have an interest in doing so. This results in wildlife being protected (a win for global biodiversity) and local people benefiting from conservation through tourism revenues, jobs, or new infrastructure like schools, clinics and water supplies.

Loliondo Bogus Murder Case Dropped after Over Five Months.

While the Horror Worsens with Fake and Forced Land Use Plans

Themes: Conservation, FPIC, Human rights, Hunting, Indigenous people, Livlihoods, Parks, Pastoralists, Tourism

The Brutal and Illegal Land Demarcation Operation in Contempt of Court Continues in Loliondo.

It Must be Stopped and the Beacons Uprooted!

Themes: Conservation, Human rights, Indigenous people, Hunting, Livlihoods, NGOs, Parks, Pastoralists

With total lawlessness, massive deployment of security forces, senseless violence and shameless lies, the Tanzanian government continues planting beacons* in contempt of court to demarcate and alienate from the Maasai the 1,500 km2 of vitally important grazing land that it – lobbied by OBC that organizes hunting for Sheikh Mohammed of Dubai - has attempted to steal so many times. This operation started less than two weeks before the East African Court of Justice is expected to deliver its ruling on 22nd June. Many people have been injured, are missing or arrested, including local leaders who were lured by the DC and arrested the first day, kept incommunicado, and now charged with "murder" (for self defence exercised while they were locked up) together with ten others. This crime must be stopped, and the illegal beacons must be uprooted! The ruling was the day before the scheduled date postponed to September!

Loliondo - Urgent alert

Massive Police Invasion and Imminent Threat of Illegal Beacons for a Protected Area in Contempt of Court in Loliondo

Themes: Conservation, Human rights, Hunting, Indigenous people, Livlihoods, NGOs, Parks, Pastoralists

Never ever again dance to Majaliwa’s tune! It ends in tears however much he smiles and however clearly you explain everything to him!

Maasai Land All Over Tanzania Threatened

Pindi Chana in Her Budget Speech Announces Planned Contempt of Court in the Loliondo Case and Threatens Maasai Land All Over Tanzania

Themes: Conservation, Human rights, Hunting, Indigenous people, Livlihoods, NGOs, Parks, Pastoralists

On 3rd June, in her budget speech for 2022-2023, Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism Pindi Chana said that her Ministry expects to upgrade Loliondo Game Controlled Area to a Game Reserve. This is not only a criminal threat of violence and destruction of thousands of lives and livelihoods, but if in any way implemented, contempt of court in the case, in its final stages, in the East African Court of Justice. This comes only days after local leaders, on 25th May, in their futile dance to PM Majaliwa’s tune - at the same time as those from NCA – handed in explanations that the land is theirs, that they need it, that they care for it, and that they aren’t going anywhere. As if Majaliwa, or anyone in the government would listen … There must be loud protests, more court cases, perhaps even a reclaim of Serengeti if the government continues like this.

Ngorongoro's conservation status is becoming increasingly linked to anti-Maasai rhetoric

Loliondo and NCA are two separate but closely related issues. The Maasai in NCA live under harsh restrictions that don’t exist in Loliondo. It’s Loliondo that’s my area of expertise.

Themes: Conservation, Indigenous people, Livlihoods, NGOs, Parks, Pastoralists, Tourism

Leaked short-term eviction plans for the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and vicious anti-Maasai hate campaigns in the media have been followed up by an anti-Maasai frenzy in the Tanzanian Parliament when discussing Ngorongoro. Posts from the 12th Feb and 6th Feb follow.

Loliondo and Ngorongoro Attacked from Every Angle, and People Have Spoken Up.

Themes: Conservation, FPIC, Indigenous people, Hunting, Human rights, NGOs, Pastoralists

The Tanzanian government must stop threatening and abusing the Maasai of Ngorongoro District, whether it’s for the old “Loliondogate” issue in Loliondo and Sale Division and the hunters’ wish for a “protected area”, or for the even older wish to for the love of tourism money further dispossess and strangle those in Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Now the Arusha RC John Mongella must backtrack on his (the government’s) terrible threat described in the previous blog post.