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
Vicious media campaign and aborted visit by the PM
On
17th 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 4th 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.
On
28th November Zephania Ubwani in the Citizen shed more light at
what’s going on, openly stating that his source was a “report” made by OBC and
entitled “Loliondo GCA Is Diminishing”
that had been “released” on 7th November. Ubwani makes some kind
attempt at balancing by, in the last paragraph, mentioning that human rights
activists have “accused” the government and OBC of human rights abuse, and of
plotting to evict Maasai pastoralists from their land, and that activists and
their lawyers were recently arrested and charged in Loliondo – but the rest of
the article is apparently copy and paste from OBC’s “report”. Better would be
to report about the extrajudicial evictions in 2009 for the benefit of OBC and about
the Kagasheki-style threat that would have led to more evictions, if not
stopped in 2013. At least, the journalist could have checked the Village Land
Act nr.5 of 1999, instead of repeating OBC’s obvious lies that the Wildlife
Conservation Act of 2009 would in some mysterious way have turned village land
into protected areas allowing mass evictions and human rights abuse…
Then,
on 3rd December came an article by Masyaga Matinyi in the Mtanzania,
Majaliwa, huyu ndiyo ukweli wa Loliondo (Majaliwa, this is the truth about Loliondo) that was directed at Prime
Minister Kassim Majaliwa who was to visit Loliondo on Monday 5th
December. The article starts by lamenting the fact that Kagasheki’s threats of
alienating 1,500 km2 of essential grazing land – the same land that is OBC’s core hunting
area – from the Maasai was stopped by former PM Mizengo Pinda in a speech on 23rd
September 2013, goes on to concern for the environment needed for the killing
pleasure of Emirati royalty, claiming that it’s perfectly legal for a minister
to alienate village land, and inciting against the Loliondo NGOs, trying to tap
into xenophobia by lying that they would be led by “foreigners”. It seems like
Matinyi has taken over after Manyerere Jackton who’s strangely silent after his
“successful” involvement in having innocent people arrested. Though Manyerere
wrote an article urging Majaliwa to “save” Loliondo in July this year. The article
by Matinyi was also published in the RAI online on the 8th with the headline,
“Majaliwa, fursa pekee ya kuiokoa
Loliondo (Majaliwa, special opportunity to save Loliondo)
On
5th December Masyaga Matinyi - and Manyerere Jackton - were sighted
at Honest Guesthouse in Wasso, together with OBC’s general manager, Isaack
Mollel, but PM Majaliwa had for some reason changed his plans, and didn’t visit
Loliondo.
Majaliwa
had the previous day returned the right of occupancy (title deed) of Manyara
Ranch in Monduli – that instead of being returned to the villages Oltukai and
Esilalei already in 1999, as was promised by President Mkapa, ended up in the
hands of the Tanzania Land Conservation Trust (a partnership between the infamous
AWF and the former MP for Monduli, Edward Lowassa) leading to a 17-year land
struggle. The deed was handed to the district that’s directed to work with the
villages on planning the future of Manyara Ranch. Remember also AWF’s land
purchase (together with TNC) leading to brutal evictions of the Samburu at
Eland Downs/Kisargei in Kenya and how they gave the land as a gift to the government
when the Samburu fought back, and their “partnership” with Thomson Safaris with
their violent claim to ownership of 12,617 acres in Loliondo.
In
Ngorngoro on 6th December Majaliwa ordered NCAA officials to give
him the whereabouts of a rhino called John, said to have been sold by some
named NCAA and TANAPA officials to the private Grumeti Reserve. Then he
suspended the NCAA chief accountant who was already under investigation for
corruption. The PM also engaged in the usual talk about those not indigenous to
NCA by 1959 having to move out, resuming the Kakesio Ranch project, and NCA
providing water projects. The crucial issue of food security wasn’t much
touched upon. There was however swift action on the rhino issue, and on the 9th
the Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Maghembe, informed Majaliwa
that John had been transferred because of inbreeding problems in the crater,
and had died in Grumeti Reserve. The horns were presented to Majaliwa in a wooden
box.
And
on 6th December the online version of the Arusha Times appeared with
its article, Loliondo on the edge of ecologicaldisaster, about OBC’s “report”. This article too just repeats OBC’s lies
about what the law says. Though the unnamed reporter claim to have talked to an
OBC official who declined to comment on the land conflict, only wanting to talk
about environmental destruction. The report – that I’m yet to get hold of – is
quoted as saying, "As a result of
environmental destruction and human intrusion some animal species like cats,
lions and buffalos [have] disappeared and/or [are] very difficult to find. This
has adversely impacted on the hunting activities, especially the quality of trophies
and their availability." It’s so difficult to get hold of this report
that it has led some to believe that it doesn’t exist in any other form than a
press release. If someone does have it, please send it to me.
Considering
how easy it is for wealthy people to get away with grabbing indigenous people’s
land when claiming to be unbiased wildlife experts and environmentalists, it’s
a wonder that OBC have not earlier walked down this path this loudly, but I
fear they now, when so many people have been intimidated into silence, feel
quite safe.
Malicious prosecution
The
demented espionage and sabotage case – with the aim of silencing anyone who could
ever speak up - was on 21st November postponed until 22nd
December, since the magistrate had other duties in Arusha. On that date, it
will be seen what “investigation” the accusation has done, and if there’s a
glimmer of sanity and decency the case will be dismissed. Though sadly it has
already served its purpose silencing some people. The illegal assembly case
against some PWC staff has been dropped for lack of evidence.
And
I should also mention that the direct involvement in
the sinister character Gabriel Killel, director of the NGO Kidupo, in the
illegal arrests is getting clearer and clearer – not least since Killel himself
is reportedly boasting about it. I’ve been told that Killel went to Dar es
Salaam to meet the interrogation task force for a week before their arrival in
Loliondo. Killel’s “friendship” with land grabbers was revealed in October 2014
when he went with a group of people to Dodoma to declare support for Thomson
Safaris and OBC. He seems to first have thought he could keep his corruption secret and collect money from both land grabbers and a Sami organisation for
indigenous solidarity, and became very aggressive threatening those he thought
had talked about him.
On 24th November, it started raining heavily in all areas of Loliondo and Ngorongoro divisions, but the rain has since been insufficient.
Now it’s said that PM Majaliwa will come to Loliondo
on Thursday 15th December, but this blog post is already far too
delayed. I hope to have good news on Thursday.
Susanna
Nordlund
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