Power the Struggle of the Maasai for Land & Life
Ongoing protests by Maasai residents against the planned evictions from the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
Last year, the Oakland Institute alerted on the eviction plans of the Tanzanian government for the Maasai living in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) and nearby Loliondo division. Since then, we have continued to support the struggle of the Maasai who courageously resist human rights abuses at the hands of a government that prioritizes dollars from safari tourism over the land and lives of Indigenous pastoralists.
After uncovering massive eviction plans, we have steadfastly stood by the communities as they resist “Fortress Conservation.” We have exposed attempts of the Tanzanian government to take away basic educational and health services, documented the devastating impact that restrictions on grazing will have on livelihoods and shattered lies behind the government’s promises of better life in the resettlement sites established hundreds of miles away.
“Thank you Oakland Institute for your reports and continuing to stand alongside the Maasai community.”
Maasai NCA resident (name withheld for security reasons)
As the Tanzanian government blatantly violates the basic rights of the Maasai, we have forcefully let the world know about human rights abuses against the Indigenous — committed in the name of conservation. And it has worked!
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Our advocacy garnered headlines in The Guardian, Financial Times, Al Jazeera, The Nation Africa, Mongabay, Grist, among many other outlets around the world, generating millions of media impressions.
The Tanzanian government has been put on notice that the world is watching!
Our unwavering commitment to the struggle led several United Nations Special Rapporteurs to take action and raise their concerns to the Tanzanian government and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Their official communications were followed by a press release calling on the government to “immediately halt plans for relocation of the people living in Loliondo and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.”
"Our land is our cultural survival, our livelihoods, and we can't survive without it. Tourism is like poison to us. Tourism money is killing us. Please stop genocide of the Maasai. The world must stand and say no to ruthless leaders.”
Maasai elder (name withheld for security reasons)
The global community is mobilizing. Petitions drawing from our work have been signed by millions of individuals, while our research — including testimonies from victims and evidence that we have collected — is used in legal cases in the East African Court of Justice.
We smashed the Tanzanian government's hopes to quickly and quietly dispossess the Maasai.
But we still have ways to go. Tens of thousands of Indigenous pastoralists have already lost vital grazing land while thousands of children and women remain displaced and hungry in Kenya. The threat of widespread eviction continues to loom and the Maasai way of life is under attack.
As we assist this struggle at every step — from medical, shelter, food and legal needs — we turn to you so we can remain tenacious in the months ahead. Your support will allow us to continue our advocacy and provide assistance to the displaced. Please make your tax-deductible donation today — and make it as generous as you can. Thank you in advance!
I promise you that we will not stop until the Maasai have the authority over the management of land they have stewarded for centuries. With your partnership, we will tear down the walls of this neo-colonial, racist Fortress Conservation model.
Every dollar matters — we are deeply grateful for anything you are able to contribute today.
In Solidarity,
Anuradha Mittal
Executive Director