It’s time to
write about the leaked short-term plan for “voluntary” relocation from Ngorongoro
Conservation Area. As known, the medium-term plan is for a cultural genocide,
turning most of NCA and much of surrounding areas into no-go zones for people
and livestock. Everyone has now got the information anyway, so there must have
been more than one leak. Then there has been terrible incitement in Tanzanian
media against the Ngorongoro Maasai – led by Habib Mchange of the Jamvi la
Habari, and picked up by Maulid Kitenge who ran away with it like a pig in heat
(I got that perfect image from a dear friend) but those people are also a distraction
from the real threat
I hope I won’t
have any news from Loliondo to write about other than something good about the
RC backtracking, or a win in the East African Court of Justice. On 1st
February, Loliondo representatives who were in Dodoma to attend the swearing in
of Emmanuel Oleshangai as MP, met with former PM Mizengo Pinda who is in the
highest organs of the CCM ruling party. Pinda reassured them that the
government hadn’t made any decision about the 1,500 km2 and advised
them about meeting people. Why did the RC, the central government’s highest representative
in Arusha region then issue a land alienation threat on 11th January?
I’m glad that there has been so much international solidarity, much more than at
more threatening times, and the reporting has got better, even if some
incorrect information still gets through.
Remember that
Loliondo and NCA are two separate but closely related issues. They are not as
detached as some local people may think but can’t be mixed up as is sometimes done
by outsiders. The Maasai in NCA live under harsh restrictions that don’t exist
in Loliondo. It’s Loliondo that’s my area of expertise.
Much of this
blog post is ongoing events and questions.
But enough is
enough! Stop inciting against and threatening people who already lost massive
land when evicted from Serengeti National Park, and on whose land the wildlife is
found that every opportunist wants to make money off!
In this blog post:
Leaked
short-term eviction plan for NCA
Anti-Maasai hate
campaign in media
Ngorongoro
people explaining and explaining
Journalists
detained after attending community meeting in Nainokanoka
Ngorongoro
Conservation Area and the MLUM review proposal
Ndumbaro
signing 30-year leases with criminals
New MP
 |
| Photo: Jamvi la Habari (this is supposed to make you upset) |
In December 2021 there were
reports, never officially confirmed, that at a cabinet meeting a terrible
decision would have been made (regarding Loliondo) that Ololosokwan village must
be delisted, and the area placed under the Tanzania Wildlife Management
Authority (TAWA). There was also a decision that the Ngorongoro Conservation
Area (NCA) should be “free of the Maasai” as soon as possible. Ololosokwan did receive
a demand to hand in the village certificate, which was refused.
In early January 2022, there
was a leak of written recommendations by the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority
(NCAA) to Damas Ndumbaro, Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism on how to
implement President Samia’s instructions on evicting the Ngorongoro Maasai. The
recommendations, according to the document submitted on New Year’s Eve, are for
a short-term plan for “voluntary” relocations that the Ministry had directed
the NCAA to start implementing on 1st January 2022 to finish
relocating people in February and demolish their houses.
The term “voluntary” should
here be understood as tortured by poverty-causing restrictions so as that there
is a sense of no choice. This is far from the first time there are such plans
and in 2006 there were relocations of NCA residents to Jema in Sale division. What
everyone is saying now is that nobody will relocate, and if someone does it for
compensation money, they will return to Ngorongoro like many of those relocated
to Jema did (and they were among those who got eviction notices in April 2021).
As mentioned in earlier blog
posts, the researcher Teklehaymanot G. Weldemichel published an article in
December 2021, explaining how people are made relocatable through long
processes of marginalisation. “Making land grabbable: Stealthydispossessions by conservation in Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania”
Some of the wording in the
leaked documents left a slight suspicion that they might have been fake, but I
was assured there was a serious source, worse has been written and publicly
said by Tanzanian authorities (often actually), and some of the apparently gossipy
parts were publicly confirmed towards mid-January.
In the plan the Kitwai and
Handeni Game Controlled Areas are named as the areas for relocation and misleadingly
described as protected areas that will be declassified. Those are old GCAs that
are village land and people are already living there. If the NCAA have found
any apparently “empty” areas, that’s grazing land. The NCAA requests TAWA
rangers to be deployed to the areas to prevent other residents from “invading”.
Does that mean evicting the current villagers? “Interestingly”, Handeni is the
area most mentioned by those who out of hatred support any eviction plan, or anything
bad at all, directed towards to Maasai. Their story is usually, “I went to
Handeni and there were Maasai livestock invading people’s cultivated fields”.
Is their hatred so blind that they’ll still support this plan?
The NCAA write that Allan
Kijazi, (then) Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources and
Tourism, has been found to lack the right vision to oversee the implementation
of the Government directives, and that repeatedly Minister Ndumbaro has been
heard complaining to Kijazi for failing to effectively oversee the implementation
of the Government's plan for NCA.
In a cabinet reshuffle, little
more than a week later, the president replaced Kijazi as Permanent Secretary with
Francis Michael. Kijazi was also removed as head of TANAPA and replaced by
William Mwakilema who was heading Serengeti National Park (SENAPA) during the
illegal invasion of village land in Loliondo in 2017, an operation that SENAPA
was officially tasked with implementing, and in which his rangers committed
mass arson, tortured and raped people, seized and even in some cases shot
cattle. Nothing indicates that Kijazi would in any way care about land rights
and human rights. Maybe someone with a more personal bloodlust was wanted, or maybe Kijazi wanted to conserve Kitwai
and Handeni. It’s hard to know, but there were complaints that he didn’t work
hard enough for evictions from Ngorongoro and then he was removed.
For a more effective implementation
of the eviction plan, NCAA recommended the Arusha RC as the overseer, while the
Ministry takes care of policy responsibilities. The NCAA wanted this to be officially
approved by the time when the Ministry of Finance and Planning is advised to
give permission to the NCAA to use the funds allocated for the development of
projects affected by COVID-19 to fund the eviction of Ngorongoro Maasai.
There are 400 million TShs in COVID-19 funds set aside for classrooms and a dormitory in Ngorongoro division,
but they can’t be built, since NCAA won’t issue building permits.
Then, as described in the
latest two blog posts, Arusha RC, John Mongella arrived in Loliondo and on 10th
January started visiting projects funded by COVID-19 money. There was fear for
what he would announce about NCA, but instead, on 11th January he
reignited the long-running threat against 1,500 km2 of village land that
OBC, that organises hunting for Sheikh Mohammed of Dubai, want turned into a
protected area. Mongella summoned village and ward leaders from villages with land
in the 1,500 km2 to inform them that the government would make a
painful decision for the broader interest of the nation. The leaders refused to
accompany the RC for a tour of the 1,500 km2, or to sign the attendance
list, which could have been used to claim that they’d agreed to something. On
13th-14th January there was a protest meeting in Oloirien
and a statement. All leaders, including those who’ve been fearfully silent for
years, and even the traitors who have been working for OBC and against the
people, spoke up against the RC’s threat and against OBC, while the popular protest
was even clearer. Then another stop order (there is already one) was applied
for in the East Africa Court of Justice where four villages have an ongoing
case in its final stages against the government. There was some media coverage
of the protests and several international organisations issued urgent alerts
and press releases in solidarity with the Loliondo Maasai.
“We are not
leaving, we are not going, go and tell Samia we are not going, finish us all
here.” Sign: "Samia, remove the Arab so that we'll be safe."
Except for a confused
Instagram post, nothing more has been heard from RC Mongella about Loliondo.
Instead, former PM Pinda has assured Loliondo representatives that there isn’t
any government decision.
Maybe because of the pushback
in Loliondo, RC Mongella never made any public statements about NCA. Though
there is a genocidal media campaign against the Ngorongoro Maasai.
In the leaked documents, the
NCAA further warns about NGOs that will persuade the Maasai to oppose the
eviction plan, naming one NGO that should be closely monitored, and action
taken. Copying directly from the demented rhetoric of the Loliondo police state
at the service of investors, the NGO is described as “collaborating with
institutions from Kenya”.
NCAA’s request for issues to
be implemented before February includes: Preparing a database, identifying and
registering those applying for relocation. Valuate property for compensation and
apply for permission to use social development funds for this. Establish an
implementation committee and request funds for relocations. Prepare a meeting
between NCAA, the Ministry, the RC, Ngorongoro District Council, and the DC.
Prepare a joint meeting between the regional security committees of Arusha,
Tanga and Manyara. “Cancel the status” of Kitwai and Handeni GCAs. Build ranger
stations to prevent “invasion” of Kitwai and Handeni. Prepare a joint banking
process.
Then in February the plan was
to pay compensation, relocate “voluntary” Maasai from NCA, and demolish their
houses.
Fortunately, as far as I know,
this plan is not on schedule. Some people say that the NCAA has applied for
funds, but I haven’t seen any evidence.
Anti-Maasai hate
campaign in media
As mentioned in the previous blog post, on 26th January, there was an article in the Jamvi la
Habari by one “Ibrahim Malinda” inciting against the Ngorongoro Maasai. This
article was taken up by the sports reporter turned frontpage reviewer Maulid Kitenge
who in an unquestioning and brainlessly screaming way repeated the claims of
the Jamvi la Habari. The Darmpya online news showed a video clip made by the
Jamvi la Habari and on Clouds tv deeply ignorant presenters feigned outrage,
making stupid sounds, about seeing livestock and zebras together in NCA … parroting
the anti-Maasai rhetoric of chief conservator Manongi and company.
The Mwananchi newspaper
published an article written by “mwandishi wetu” (staff writer), about “stakeholders
decrying human activities in Ngorongoro”, in which one Habib Mchange, coordinator
of the “Media Centre for Information and Resources Advocacy”, is quoted. This
person is the owner of the Jamvi la Habari. A former opposition politician who switched
to the ruling party and has been focusing on producing fake news and defamation.
I had not been keeping up with this individual, and have not had enough time
now, but just a swift search show that the Jamvi la Habari has quoted him as
the coordinator, director, or chairman of several organisations that nobody has
heard about. Also, a German tourist, named Paul Schenzern, is quoted complaining
about livestock. Sadly, such tourists aren’t that hard to find, and if they
have a problem with livestock, they can travel to the Antarctica instead, or
better quit their entitled fossil fuel consuming ways, and stay at home. Though
I have a slight suspicion that this particular tourist is a product of Habib
Mchange’s mind. The article was reproduced elsewhere, also by “staff writer”.
Habib Mchange’s focus is on
being upset by images of a pastoral Eden with livestock and wildlife grazing
together, by small wild-west style commercial centres that have been in
Ngorongoro since the 1950s and before, and that besides to Ngorongoro Maasai offer
services to tourists, the lodges, and their staff. A picture of a two-floor house
near the commercial area in Embarway is repeated again and again (built by a local
man who’s married to a “mzungu” woman, which would belie the claims that tourists
don’t want to see any Maasai), but huge lodges at the crater rim, or traffic
jams at the crater floor, are apparently no problem at all, since Ngorongoro
exists for those people and for “the broader interest of the nation”. The
Maasai are not considered part of the nation.
 |
| This money is for the "broader interest of the nation". |
Habib Mchange, having succeeded
at fooling some people with his anti-Maasai hate speech, even got a logo for
his latest organisation. Then he found illiteracy numbers and poverty in
Ngorongoro as the next angle to use, and Maulid Kitenge – whose behaviour a
friend of mine as likened to a pig in heat – was ecstatic with this latest toy.
As usual, both being too rich and modern and too poor and backward is used
against the Maasai.
On 5th February,
Kitenge went to Ngorongoro together with sports presenter Oscar Oscar - apparently
for the first time in his life - and started uploading repulsive genocide exhorting
clips. Reportedly, he’s there with several members of the anti-Maasai press (if
so, we will no doubt hear from them in media). Roughly, the message is, “Look,
look! Cows! Forced evictions! Right now!”
Today, 6th February, Kitenge held a press conference as "vice chairman" of "coordinator" Habib Mchange's organisation “Media Centre for Information and Resources Advocacy”. These maliciously stupid sports presenters even have stickers and t-shirts, so it must be more "organized" than it seems. The message now was of “concern” for the destitute Maasai who are being eaten by wild animals. Can anyone guess what these first-time tourists’ recommendations for the government are?
 |
| Manongi |
An anti-Maasai “journalist”
whom I’ve often had to report about in this blog is OBC’s own Manyerere
Jackton, an unbelievably unethical “journalist” who in well over 50 articles,
mostly in the Jamhuri newspaper, has been spewing out unhinged hate rhetoric
against the Maasai of Loliondo, and campaigned for taking the 1,500 km2
away from them. He has claimed that 70 percent of the Loliondo Maasai would not
be Tanzanian, and published lists of hundreds of private persons that his
“sources” consider to be “Kenyan”. He’s slandering of those speaking up for
land rights, or those he thinks could speak up for land rights, has been
vicious and insane. Besides this campaign, he’s capable of writing any lie for
no particular reason at all. I’ve experienced first-hand how he likes to boast
about being directly involved in arrests of innocent people, since I’ve several
times got rude and triumphant one-liner emails when such a thing is about to
happen, and he doesn’t hide it in the articles either. Fortunately, Manyerere
Jackton has been silent about Loliondo since his supposed employer, OBC’s
director Isaack Mollel, was locked up in remand prison for economic sabotage in
2019, and after a long stay released, allegedly following plea bargaining. Though the Jamhuri has also been participating
in Manongi’s hate campaign, attending his “workshops” for journalists, and on 1st
February another article, obviously written by Manyerere Jackton was added.
At Manongi's workshops journalists get much better stickers and t-shirts than those the maliciously stupid sports presenters have and then they report what the chief conservator tells them to report.
While I'm happy that many have
reacted against it this time, sadly, too many Tanzanians are ready to believe
this hate campaign, some for personal interest, some out of ignorance, and some
because a preference for siding with evil. Many believe that the Maasai have
invaded some protected area, are overpopulated and destroying the environment,
when it’s protected areas that are invading the home of the Maasai, probably
every anti-Maasai person lives in a more densely populated area, and absolutely
none of them live with more wildlife. But as said, this time is different and in
social media people are reacting, particularly against Maulid Kitenge. Though I
wonder how many will still support the Maasai after listening to someone
equally stupid and vile, but with more training. I hope I’m just unnecessarily
bitter after all these years.
This kind of media
personalities is a terrible distraction, without them this blog post would have
been published earlier, but still I feel that I should have found out more of
their background and followed them more closely, and I will undoubtedly be more
familiar with them when I write next blog post.
Worse is that President Samia
has repeated Manongi’s rhetoric in two speeches, in April and October 2021.
Ngorongoro
people explaining and explaining
As reported in the previous
blog post, many meetings have been held in Ngorongoro, including in Endulen on 17th
January, where speaker after speaker with great eloquence explained that this
is their land and they aren’t going anywhere, and which was filmed by ITV that,
allegedly after pressure by NCAA, never broadcast anything.
On 29th January, university
students from Ngorongoro met the press in Dar es Salaam to explain the
situation.
Some young people have kept
explaining and explaining, tirelessly, in voice-based social media apps. Sadly,
the moderator has received anonymous threats. Most of them have been from
Ngorongoro division and very few from Loliondo where everyone – except for the
recent action against the threat voiced by RC Mongella – have adapted to the
local police state and stayed silent the past years. Some say that those from
Ngorongoro talk too much and should focus on strategy.
On 3rd February, Onesmo
Olengurumwa of Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition and Edward Porokwa of Pastoralists
Indigenous Non-Governmental Organization's Forum clearly and patiently continued
explaining.
Journalists detained after attending community meeting in Nainokanoka
On 3rd February, organizers had managed to bring a good number of journalists to a community rally in Nainokanoka. Already the day before there were some fears that one or more of the organizers could be in contact with, working for, RC Mongella. When the journalists were leaving to return to Karatu, they were detained by NCAA rangers and local police, released, and then detained again and searched without warrant, then interrogated, harassed and verbally insulted at Lodoare access gate to NCAA. They were finally released on condition that they see Elibariki Bajuta, until recently chief conservator Manongi’s assistant and now the head of NCAA’s protection division in Karatu. The journalists met Bajuta at midnight when he intimidated them and warned them about ever again entering NCA without accreditation from the authority.
The NCAA say that the
journalists didn’t follow proper procedure, since they didn’t seek
accreditation from chief conservator Manongi – the person who leads the war
against the Maasai on the ground, in media, and with politicians. Though the
harassed journalists did of course follow all necessary procedures, including
paying NCAA’s entrance fees.
The harassed journalists are: Amina
Ngahewa (Mwananchi Digital), Allan Isaack (Nipashe), Profit Mmanga (Wasafi TV),
Apolo Benjamin (Daily News Digital), Janeth Mushi (Mwananchi), Julius Sagati (for
Star TV).
Statements about the arrests
have been issued by the somewhat unknown organisation MISA, by THRDC, and by
PINGOs Forum that included a background and recommendations.
Later RC Mongella told reporters
that he had the information from media, but not formally, and that he’d follow
up, since the aim of the government and orders from our leaders is that we must
be close to work together for the broader interests of our nation.
NCAA Deputy Commissioner Christopher
Timbuka said something like that it’s a normal thing, you can’t just come to
work without a permit, and we can’t stay quiet without knowing what’s happening.
The Mwananchi published reports
from the meeting in Nainokanoka. In this clip Nainokanoka councillor, Edward
Maura, descries NCAA’s withholding of permits for health and education projects.
Special seats councillor, Moi Sikorei Meroro, speaks up about the constant
eviction threats asking President Samia to intervene and come to Ngorongoro to
meet people and see the truth. Lengai Moluo, talks about how Ngorongoro people
who watch over increasing wildlife deserve to benefit and be treated like full
citizens. Esupati Saipi, tells that women teach their children to care for the
environment and asks the president not to listen to false information that the
Maasai would be moving. They are staying, with more tourists, with wildlife,
people, and not least with Maasai livestock. A subdivision women’s representative
explains that the Maasai aren’t harming the environment and repeats that they
are not leaving. Metui Oleshaudo, Olbalbal councillor, explains that the
development of the local people is written in the NCA act and asks who removed
that, he says that Ngorongoro is their heritage and can’t be a world heritage
without them. As usual, there’s an assumption that the government and president
have been misled and just must see with their own eyes.
Ngorongoro
Conservation Area and the MLUM review proposal
The Maasai in in the 25
villages in NCA live under restrictions not found in Loliondo, are not allowed
to grow crops or build modern houses, have the past years been losing access to
one grazing area after the other, and as a result are suffering from high
levels of child malnutrition, while throughout the years they have been shaken
by rumours and threats of eviction. The current threat was announced in
September 2019, when chief conservator Freddy Manongi made public the Multiple
Land Use Model review report’s proposal, which is so destructive that it would
lead to the end of Maasai livelihoods and culture in Ngorongoro District. This
had followed a joint monitoring mission from the UNESCO World Heritage Centre,
the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and International
Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) that once again visited Ngorongoro and
in their report repeated that they wanted the MLUM review completed to see the
results and offer advice, while again complaining about the visual impact of
settlements with “modern” houses, and so on. Recommendations and concerns from
UNESCO had in the past repeatedly led to a worsened human rights situation.
When the Maasai were evicted
from Serengeti in 1959 by the colonial government, losing access to over 14,000
km2, as a compromise deal, they were guaranteed the right to continue occupying
the 8,292 km² Ngorongoro Conservation Area as a multiple land-use area
administered by the government, in which natural resources would be conserved
primarily for their interest, but with due regard for wildlife. This promise
was not kept, and tourism revenue has turned into the paramount interest.
The MLUM review report proposes to divide Ngorongoro
into four zones, with an extensive “core conservation zone” that is to be a
no-go zone for livestock and herders. In NCA this includes the Ngorongoro
Highland Forest, with the three craters Ngorongoro, Olmoti and Empakaai where
grazing these past few years has been banned through order. This has led to
losing 90% of grazing and water for Nainokanoka, Ngorongoro, Misigiyo wards,
and a 100% loss of natural saltlicks for livestock in these wards. The proposal
is to do the same with Oldupai Gorge, Laitoli footprints, and the Lake Ndutu
and Lake Masek basins. In the rest of Ngorongoro District, the proposal is for
NCAA to annex the Lake Natron basin (including areas of Longido and Monduli
districts, like Selela forest and Engaruka historical site) and the 1,500 km2
in Loliondo and Sale Divisions and designate most of these areas to be no-go
zones for pastoralists and livestock. These huge areas include many villages
and are important grazing areas, the loss of which would have disastrous
knock-on effects on lives and livelihoods elsewhere. The annexation of the
Osero in Loliondo caters almost perfectly to the wishes of OBC.
Since it was announced in
September 2019, there have been several protest statements and delegations by
ward and village leaders, customary leaders, and youths. There have been
promises from Kigwangalla and then Ndumbaro that the MLUM review is to be done afresh
and in a “participatory” manner, but then the same genocidal threat is returned.
In April 2021, 45 families accused of returning to Ngorongoro after being
relocated to Jema in in 2006 were ordered to leave within 30 days. Further,
more than a hundred houseowners, accused of building their houses without NCAA
permits were ordered to demolish them. On the list were even government
buildings, like schools and a police station. A third group of approximately
174 other families accused of being illegal immigrants were listed in the
notice. After protests, the eviction notices were withdrawn until further
notice. President Samia has parroted the eviction rhetoric in the most
unsettling way. Then in January there was this leaked information about a plan
for immediate “voluntary” relocations to Kitwai and Hamdeni, while RC Mongella renewed
the land alienation threat about the 1,500 km2 in Loliondo which is
another issue, but included in the MLUM review proposal, and the always present
anti-Maasai media campaign was intensified.
Nothing more has been heard
from the RC and the leaked plan is apparently not on schedule.
Ndumbaro
signing 30-year leases with criminals
At the time of the previous
blog post, Minister Ndumbaro was in Las Vegas meeting Donald Trump JR. and
other trophy hunters at the Safari Club International’s annual convention. Now
he’s been in other, not so nice, company.
On 4th February the
Ministry and TAWA announced in social media that four companies had been
granted Special Wildlife Investment Concession Areas (SWICA) on 30-year (!) leases.
The companies are Green Mile Safari Ltd, Mwiba Holdings (Friedkin group),
Mkwawa Hunting Safaris, and Grumeti Reserves Ltd.
I’ve written about Green Mile
before when they were brought back by Ndumbaro after having had their license
revoked by Kigwangalla. This company became internationally infamous after a
video of horrible
Mwiba Holdings (part of the
Friedkin group) are even worse. In 2011, Mwiba Holdings together with regional
and district authorities brutally evicted Hadza hunter-gatherers, Datoga
pastoralists and Sukuma agro-pastoralists from Makao Wildlife Management Area
in Meatu district. They have been suspected of unethical and criminal activities
later as well, and I’d be grateful for an update.
Mkwawa is a local company that
I don’t know much about. Grumeti Reserves aren’t that pretty either, but I need
to update myself on their current activities (help appreciated).
New MP
On 1st February
Emmanuel Oleshangai was sworn in as new member of parliament for Ngorongoro. He
knows what he must do, and I hope that everyone will assist him. This blog will
not make the mistake of being as patient as with his predecessor (continue
resting in peace).
Enough is enough! It’s
starting to look like it’s time to reclaim Serengeti!
Susanna
Nordlund is a working-class person based in Sweden who since 2010 has been
blogging about Loliondo (now increasingly also about NCA) and has her
fingerprints thoroughly registered with Immigration so that she will not be
able to enter Tanzania through any border crossing, ever again. She has never
worked for any NGO or intelligence service and hasn’t earned a shilling from
her Loliondo work. She can be reached at sannasus@hotmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment