Red Soil - Chapter Two
Encroaching Forces on Maasai Land
“The government uses our image and cul- ture to attract the tourists and punish us behind the scenes. Maybe the solution is for all the Maasai to move away and disappear all together”, livestock broker, 27, Wasso, Loliondo, Tanzania.
In the 1950s, after the British colonial administration pushed the Maasai out of the endless plains of Serengeti, to create the globally known game reserve, they settled around the Ngorongoro crater and in the Loliondo plains. This was the initial push justified by a so-called treaty that the British copied from their actions against the Maasai in Kenya to commit the same across the border. After independence in 1961, the national government began to promote Serengeti and Ngorongoro as havens for conservation, wildlife tourism and the rich Maasai culture. Foreign donor money and tourism revenue started flowing in. Although Loliondo was declared a “game controlled area”, this did not forbid the Maasai from accessing the grazing lands bordering Serengeti during the dry season between July and December.
In 1993, the Government of Tanzania signed a contract with UAE based Otterlo Business Company (OBC). The contract allows the company to organize trophy hunting excursions for Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, and his accompanying friends. Since then, the Sheikh has been conducting hunting trips to Tanzania once a year between the months of July and September. What has also been happening is years of consistent state organized attacks on the Maasai communities who live in the villages around the leased area. Between 2003 and 2018, the government waged several assaults on the Maasai ranging from burning down homesteads, to beatings, arrests, killings and rapes.
This creeping malice continued in 2022 threatening the livelihoods and way of life of 72,000 Maasai peoples of Loliondo. I continued with project Red Soil to document the consequences of recent confrontations between the Maasai communities and military police. The events resulted in destruction of homes, more than 1,500 refugees in Kenya and widespread fear of political persecution.
For this reason, certain portraits were obscured to protect people's identities.
“Us, we are today’s leaders and we tell you, it will never end. But we will not stop fighting”, Community leader, 48, Loliondo.
Red more about the story by navigating to the "Written Word" page.
Read More“The government uses our image and cul- ture to attract the tourists and punish us behind the scenes. Maybe the solution is for all the Maasai to move away and disappear all together”, livestock broker, 27, Wasso, Loliondo, Tanzania.
In the 1950s, after the British colonial administration pushed the Maasai out of the endless plains of Serengeti, to create the globally known game reserve, they settled around the Ngorongoro crater and in the Loliondo plains. This was the initial push justified by a so-called treaty that the British copied from their actions against the Maasai in Kenya to commit the same across the border. After independence in 1961, the national government began to promote Serengeti and Ngorongoro as havens for conservation, wildlife tourism and the rich Maasai culture. Foreign donor money and tourism revenue started flowing in. Although Loliondo was declared a “game controlled area”, this did not forbid the Maasai from accessing the grazing lands bordering Serengeti during the dry season between July and December.
In 1993, the Government of Tanzania signed a contract with UAE based Otterlo Business Company (OBC). The contract allows the company to organize trophy hunting excursions for Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, and his accompanying friends. Since then, the Sheikh has been conducting hunting trips to Tanzania once a year between the months of July and September. What has also been happening is years of consistent state organized attacks on the Maasai communities who live in the villages around the leased area. Between 2003 and 2018, the government waged several assaults on the Maasai ranging from burning down homesteads, to beatings, arrests, killings and rapes.
This creeping malice continued in 2022 threatening the livelihoods and way of life of 72,000 Maasai peoples of Loliondo. I continued with project Red Soil to document the consequences of recent confrontations between the Maasai communities and military police. The events resulted in destruction of homes, more than 1,500 refugees in Kenya and widespread fear of political persecution.
For this reason, certain portraits were obscured to protect people's identities.
“Us, we are today’s leaders and we tell you, it will never end. But we will not stop fighting”, Community leader, 48, Loliondo.
Red more about the story by navigating to the "Written Word" page.
