International attention
Loliondo division, in the Ngorongoro District of Northern Tanzania, has been in the news lately. There’s been a flurry of protest notes and statements released on social media, email, local and international news outlets. The content developed on Loliondo within less than two weeks is amazing. It continues.
Non-state institutions, particularly Civil Society Organisations, have moved with speed to draw international attention to the matter. The government of the United Republic of Tanzania was reported to be evicting the Maasai of Loliondo from 1500 square kilometers, just about 370,000 acres, of their ancestral land in disregard of their rights. This is aimed at making way for a game reserve within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, which is said to be part of a UNESCO World Heritage site. Allegedly, an international investor is interested in developing safari tourism within the subject site.