The Maasai-still Threatened With Eviction From Their Ancestral Lands

       
   Last year I wrote an article about the danger caused to the Maasai,an ancient and well known tribe,by the intention of Tanzanian authorities to relocate them from their ancient lands to make way for rich hunters eager to kill majestic African beasts like lions and leopards to satisfy their appetite for destruction.Luckily,thanks to the outcry created by hundreds of thousands of people worldwide,those plans were abandoned,but unfortunately not for long.

 

    
    What do politicians do when they have some controversial projects in their mind ad know that the public opinion is against their realization?They seem to give them

up until the attention of mass media and people is general is focused on other topics and the issue which caused resistance is almost forgotten.Then those ruthless individuals,who in our case are represented by Tanzanian president Kikvete and all those who surround and support him,strike mercilessly and try to turn their evil intentions into reality with little or no concern for the fate of those who are affected by them.This is exactly the case of the Maasai tribe,whose culture,traditions and way of living are threatened again only a few months after the voices of people temporarily managed to stop their eviction.

     The Maasai are once again close to being kicked off their lands because the Tanzanian government wants to create a corridor that will allow extremely rich individuals to hunt African animals and shoot them without being worried that they might accidentally kill a native.It seems that the huge sums those wealthy shooters are willing to pay for their deadly hobby is much more significant for the Tazanian authorities than the

income generated from eco tourism and from wildlife observation.But what’s going to happen if there are no wild animals left and no Maasai living their traditional way,as they did for hundreds of years?I think Tanzania will have a lot to lose because tourism should be the one of the most important ways to help the country get rid of poverty,and if there are no attractions left,it will be a total disaster for Tanzania.

   

   So what can be done to help the members of this unique tribe preserve their lands,habits and way of life?The only thing I can do is sign a petition,as I did last year on the site Avaaz,and send a message to Tanzanian embassy in my country and demand them not to kick off the Maasai from their lands.If such a campaign gathers a huge number of signatures,and probably will,it might make the Tanzanian authorities change their mind once again,because as it was proven before,they care about the global outrage their plans can ignite.Once again it’s time to take an attitude and stand for the Maasai and their rights and help them win another battle in their never ending war for survival and conservation of their identity.