Vicious Media Campaign for the Renewal of the 1,500 km2 Land Grab Threat in Loliondo

The editor of the Mtanzania and the RAI, Masyaga Matinyi, is apparently the new media spokesperson for OBC.

Update since next blog post is delayed: PM Majaliwa did not declare any land grab and recognised the village land, but did not in any way speak up against the rule of terror.

Vicious media campaign and aborted visit by the PM

On 17^th November the RAI newspaper published an article, Pori tengefu Loliondo lishushwe daraja (I), - presented as information for the government, conservation stakeholders and Tanzanians - inciting against the people of Loliondo and praising OBC in the usual style, so well-known from Manyerere Jackton’s over 20 articles in the Jamhuri – lying that Loliondo is a “protected” area threatened by cattle – many from Kenya – and agriculture, mentioning Karkamoru with its proximity to OBC¨s camp as a particularly bad example, and describing the Emirati hunters as involved in development and conservation. The writer claims that the government has failed to implement the Wildlife Conservation Act of 2009 in Loliondo, conveniently forgetting how this Act makes it clear that the new kind of Game Controlled Area that’s a protected area can’t overlap with village land, which is what all land in Loliondo is classified as, and intents at imposing this kind of GCA have been stopped. This article does not add the usual wilfully demented and delusional talk about who would be “benefitting from destroying the Serengeti ecosystem”, but it was only “part one”. The version available online doesn’t show the “journalist’s” name, but the editor of the Mtanzania and the RAI, Masyaga Matinyi, had in a chat on 4^th November, between editors of media houses and President Magufuli, posed a question about a very big threat against conservation that “a person in Loliondo” … had told him about the previous day, and that consisted of 800,000 (!) cattle – many from Kenya – entering Serengeti National Park. Some very trustworthy people viewed the president’s reply positively, since he talked about the lack of meat processing plants making it impossible for pastoralists the reduce their herds, but before that Magufuli said that allowing grazing in Ngorongoro and “Serengeti” (the latter obviously not allowed) was something “temporary”, and appointing generals to TANAPA showed what the government wanted to do, which was followed by laughter from part of the audience. I found this spine-chilling, but could have missed something due to my limited Swahili. At least Magufuli seems not to have understood that the question was about Loliondo and, as the following article showed, at the service of the “investor”. This was not the first time for the RAI newspaper.

More about Lawlessness in Loliondo

More illegal arrests and malicious prosecution.

Cows detained and owners extorted.

Visits by big people.

Too much silence.

As the update to the previous blog post says, the bizarre espionage and sabotage case against four people accused of having been in contact with me was postponed until 17^th October. The Public Prosecutor, despite of having been ordered by the Court to deliver complainant statement according to section 9 (3) of Criminal Procedure, failed to deliver this, but the case will come on 17^th October 2016 to see the status of the prosecution case. There’s an agreement that this case needs to be conducted on speed. It would be helpful to have media present in the court room. Who can make some journalists go to Loliondo?

Repression Against Land Rights Activists in Loliondo is Worse Than Ever

The past month there have been several illegal arrests of pastoralist human rights defenders in Loliondo division of Ngorongoro District, Tanzania – where foreign investors threaten land rights – and four people have been charged with baseless charges. Even a lawyer assisting these victims of ridiculous, but very dangerous, malicious prosecution has been targeted. Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition is calling for wider condemnation of the ongoing harassment.

Update 2 September: The case was postponed until 17^th October.

The Public Prosecutor despite of having been ordered by the Court to deliver complainant statement according to section 9 (3) of Criminal Procedure , failed to  deliver this, but the case will come on 17^th October 2016 to see the status of the prosecution case. There’s an agreement that this case needs to be conducted on speed.

Amidst Total Breakdown of Rule of Law in Loliondo the ”Journalist” Manyerere Jackton Resorts to Further Defamation in the Jamhuri

The Loliondo "investors’" personal "journalist" Manyerere Jackton has written yet another "article" full of lies and misinformation, this time trying to defame the Member of Parliament for Ngorongoro (William Olenasha) by linking him to me, and then he repeats the Kagasheki-style 1,500 km land grab threat. He’s doing this while enjoying his own participation in illegal arrests and ill-treatment of innocent people with the aim of silencing voices crying for justice in Loliondo. 

By now, Manyerere Jackton has written over twenty articles inciting against the Maasai of Loliondo, going to the extreme of claiming that 70 percent of Loliondo Maasai are “Kenyan” by nationality, and publishing lists of private individuals that allegedly have this nationality. Exactly like the Loliondo “investors”, Manyerere attempts to underrate the realities of land dispossession in Loliondo as something trivial, simulated and stirred up by “corrupt” non-government organisations. Last year I was illegally arrested in Loliondo and following my arrest, Manyerere also wrote several “articles” containing baseless and shameless lies about me.

Multiple Illegal Arrests of Innocent People in Loliondo for the Sole Sake of Intimidation

Help is needed.

updates at the end.
Clinton Eng’wes Kairung – secondary school teacher from Kirtalo, working in Digodigo - was arrested on 13^th July, and was then out (temporarily) on 15^th July. Clinton is my friend and the purported reason for this arrest was having met me in Olpusimoru, Kenya, which obviously isn’t a crime in any way. As usual, coordination and information sharing has left a lot to be desired. Clinton was arrested again on 19^th July.

Supuk Maoi – secondary school teacher working in Loliondo - was arrested on 14^th July and continues locked up. Also his arrest is said to have to do with me. I have not met Supuk during my recent trip to Kenya. Unlike Clinton, Supuk often speaks up publicly and online about various Loliondo issues.

“Mwandishi” anayeihujumu Loliondo - Manyerere Jackton amkejeli tena Susanna Nordlund kwenye gazeti la Jamhuri

Mtafsiri: Innocent Zephania

Manyerere Jackton, ambaye mpaka sasa ameshaandika makala zaidi ya ishirini kuwatuhumu Wamasai wa Loliondo akidai kwamba ni waharibifu kutoka Kenya ambao asasi yao ya kiraia inawavuruga wawekezaji, hivi sasa ameandika tena kuhusu mimi… Ni Manyerere huyu huyu ambaye mwanzoni alikwenda mbali zaidi akidai kwamba zaidi ya asilimia 70 ya watu wa Loliondo ni ‘Wakenya’ na kwa kutaka kuthibitisha hilo, akachapisha orodha ya majina aliyodai ni ya ‘Wakenya’ hao. Msingi hasa wa makala yake, kabla ya hii ya sasa aliyoandika kuhusu mimi, makala aliyoiandika katika Gazeti la Jamhuri, June 15, 2016 yenye kichwa cha habari “Atuzwa kwa kuisumbua Serikali” (akiwa ameshirikiana na watu wawili wanaosadikika kuwa walarushwa wakubwa wa Loliondo) ni kutaka kumchafua mwanaharakati Maanda Ngoitiko tena kwa kutumia hoja za kizushi na za kuunganisha unganisha kuhusu namna ambavyo anadai nimefanya kazi chini ya asasi ya mwanaharakati huyu kitu ambacho sijawahi kufanya kwa namna yeyote ile, na hata kama ningekuwa nimeisaidia kwa namna nyingine, Je hilo sio jambo jema? Kilichotokea katika makala yake ya mwisho ni kwamba, Hashim Shaibu Mgandilwa - asiye na uadilifu, aliyekuwa mkuu wa wilaya - ni lazima angepokea maombi yangu kwa ufupi kuhusu kubatilisha hadhi ya marufuku ya kusafiri (prohibited immigrant status), kwa Waziri wa mambo ya ndani aliyejiuzulu Kitwanga kisha apeleke kwa mwandishi huyu anayeipinga Loliondo. Akiwa katika mtandao wa kijamii, kwa kejeli, Hashim Shaibu Mgandilwa akaniambia “nimesikia unataka unataka ku revoke PI njoo nikusaidie” na kwa muda mfupi sana baada ya kuniandikia hivyo, Manyerere Jackton naye akanitumia barua pepe ikiwa na ujumbe wa kitoto unaoishia na maneno haya “Finally, you will know who is the worst journalist and who is the worst mzungu!” kumaanisha kwamba “Mwishowe utapata kujua kwamba yupi ni mwandishi mbaya sana  na yupi ni mzungu mbaya sana” huku akiwa ameambatanisha na nakala ya barua yangu ya kwanza niliyowahi kutuma kuomba kubatilishiwa marufuku ya kusafiri (prohibited immigrant status). Angeweza kupata pia vielelezo vyangu vingine kuhusu maombi yangu kwa kina, lakini kwa kuwa ni mvivu pia au labda hakutaka basi hakuweza kufanya hivyo. Katika makala yake toleo la mtandaoni, makala ambayo haina hata jina la mwandishi - Manyerere alidai kwamba ni kutokana na “uchunguzi” uliofanywa na Gazeti la Jamhuri, hatimaye wamefichua hayo maombi yangu ya kutaka kubatilishiwa...

The Anti-Loliondo ”Journalist” Manyerere Jackton Again Defames this Blogger in the Jamhuri

Manyerere Jackton, who by now has written over twenty articles inciting against the Maasai of Loliondo as destructive “Kenyans” whose NGOs harass beneficial investors, has again written about me… Manyerere has earlier gone to the extreme of claiming that 70 percent of the population of Loliondo is “Kenyan” and published lists of names of supposed “Kenyans”. His latest piece was to, together with the two most corrupt persons in Loliondo, engage in defamation of the activist Maanda Ngoitiko, adding “fantasies” about how I would have worked for her NGO (I wish…). The occasion for the latest article is that the unbelievably incompetent, now ex-DC, Hashim Shaibu Mgandilwa must have got my first, and as advised, brief request for revocation of my prohibited immigrant status, to ex-minister Kitwanga, and then sent it to the anti-Loliondo “journalist”. The ex-DC was in social media sarcastically telling me “nimeskia unataka unataka ku revoke PI njoo nikusaidie” and shortly after did Manyerere Jackton email me my first letter requesting revocation, together with his rather juvenile comments ending with, “Finally, you will know who is the worst journalist and who is the worst mzungu!”. He would have had some more material with my more detailed request, but since he’s also lazy, maybe he doesn’t want it. In the recent article – that at least in the online version doesn’t even carry the “journalist’s” name – Manyerere claims that it’s “investigations” by the Jamhuri that have revealed my request for revocation…

Much Silence from Loliondo and then Extreme Defamation in the Jamhuri

A good man passed away.

There was an appeal hearing.

OBC donated school desks.

The worst of the worst joined up for defamation.

I haven’t posted any new blog post in a very long time, and the reason is that obtaining information is harder than ever. Some are corrupted and many – maybe all - are intimidated. Others say that things are calm and the “investors” aren’t doing anything at the moment. When a new Jamhuri “article” appeared in mid-June I had urgent reasons to write, but have been delayed due to travelling and mostly waiting in vain for help with information.

First some short other news.

Brief and Delayed News about more Vicious Incitement and Charity as a Weapon

Meeting about land in February.

The Jamhuri attacked insanely again.

OBC had guests.

Big propaganda number with donation to hospital.

As mentioned in this blog, in January there was the most horrible media incitement against Kirtalo, after the DC took journalists there and lied to them that people would have “invaded” their own land cultivating, and that obvious village land would be some kind of “investor area” or “protected area” – which the “journalists” readily reported. OBC’s own DC Hashim Mgandilwa announced that there would be a meeting on 18^th January. The incitement died down, and since the local leaders weren’t ready, there never was a meeting.

A personal view on the book Selling the Serengeti by Ben Gardner

There have been some developments in Loliondo that I need to blog about when I’ve got enough information, but first I have a book to write about.

A book of great interest to this blog has been published: Selling the Serengeti: The Cultural Politics of Safari Tourism by associate professor in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences at the University of Washington Bothell, Benjamin Gardner. In spite of the title, the focus of this book is exclusively on the Loliondo Maasai and the different “investors” that are using, and in the worst case, claiming ownership to Maasai land.

Selling the Serengeti is not a report about what has happened, but rather something like an analysis of how the different actors are presented, or present themselves and their relation to the land, and how it affects the Maasai’s struggle to control their land. The book situates this in relation to earlier research, like that of Rod Neumann, Doreen Massey and Stuart Hall (which makes the list of books I need to get hold of longer and more expensive). Some important pieces of the story are left out, while others are closely examined.

Karkamoru is Threatened Again

The DC has visited Karkamoru in Kirtalo together with journalists.

Media has spread misinformation.