Leave my people alone.
I don’t recall any incidence where so much violence is directed to a certain group of people for economics interest as the current ongoing events in Loliondo and Ngorongoro. Whenever evil wins it means there is a vacuum. A vacuum of peace, human rights and freedom.
We are used as the people of this great land, to wake up and go about doing our daily economic activities unmolested by the state just about in every corner of this country. Until someone had an idea that they hold more moral ground over others when it comes to economics pursuit. To deploy violence to your own people who’s the only crime they have committed is being born in a certain place is cruel. This act will inspire bitterness towards the government for generation. It will break the trust the Maa people have put in government that-it’s the sole Stewart of justice.
To quote the passage from “The distrust of Reason-1959” — “Perhaps in the future reason will cease to be important. Perhaps for guidance in time of trouble, people will turn not to human thought, but to human capacity for suffering” — the passage capture the true nature of Maa people in Loliondo. Looking at my people in distress for the land they have lived for generation is heartbreaking. It is absurdly grotesque to see police forces being used to coerce people out of their indigenous land. Not to inspire rebellion in our police- but I would have question the motive of the acts am supposed to undertake in this instance. i.e. teargas and shooting unarmed citizen. I would not let the tranny of the minority suffocate our trust in government institutions such as police.
The amount of propaganda galore being put forward by the media and the government is astonishing. From the rented crowd of Maasai to another country embassy, to a national broadcaster television running scripts of reasons why the Maasai are “willingly” leaving. Of course in the world of distorted media-the few loudest voices garner the most coverage, no matter how untrue it is. You will struggle not to suspect the whole saga. Government want to make us believe that there is no future in Ngorongoro and Loliondo for Maa people, by creating this image of inescapable, insidious hopelessness. If one could listen –the zero sum thinking of government is misguided- there is a better alternative-non –zero sum thinking is the other side of the coin. It would help if government consider other alternative than brutal eviction costing lives currently.
As Maa people, our hearts do not exactly swell with patriotic pride when we hear songs of praise of this land, as our guts absorb one dizzying disorienting blow after the next. Our sense of who we are, our very identity as Maasai’s, feel assaulted and violated. Amidst profound, painful regression on land ownership, history and identity, we are left gasping for breath.
When a renowned intellectual pen about the land question in Tanzania, it warms my heart because he showed the daring spirit to risk all to question pretext of government action –which is very uncommon to a “yes” crowd. It mattered what Prof Shivji had to say not least because it informs and inspire a common effort for us to find a common way out and forward. But it also shows that as Tanzanian we share certain values and ideas that we are ready to defend despite the threats we expose ourselves by doing so. To be silent of callous cruelty of the government in Ngorongoro and Loliondo is to be complicit with government. I am very glad the studious gentleman steps up to be counted when it matters. History does not forget this.
I don’t mean to argue that everyone who is not writing, advocating or critiquing the government on the Loliondo-Ngorongoro issues is culpable or complicit- it will be unwarranted partiality to contend that is their true inclination, yet we would have appreciated your voice and efforts in feeling this credibility gap. I personally feel that the privilege of democracy promised to all Tanzanian in every corner is robbed off us in the name of national interest. Yet my love to Tanzania is unwavering and no matter how much evil act of violence is directed to us as people by those who don’t like us for their prejudices reasons. We know this place is where we call home. You might give it away for profit, but it remains home in our hearts and minds.
