Tanzania's Push for Luxury Tourism Threatens Maasai Way of Life

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has set forth an ambitious plan to expand conservation areas from 30% to 50% of the country's territory. This bold initiative aims to attract billions in foreign investment and boost tourism. However, the expansion comes with severe consequences for the indigenous Maasai people, whose ancestral lands are at risk of being seized and repurposed for luxury tourism.

Summarized Insights:

• Tanzania plans to expand conservation.

• Maasai displaced for luxury tourism.

• Legal battles halt, neglect continues.

• Significant foreign investments made.

• International funding suspended over concerns.

The new conservation laws stipulate that no people can inhabit these protected areas, nor can essential infrastructure such as houses, schools, or hospitals be built. 

There is one notable exception: tourism infrastructure. 

This loophole allows for the development of tourist camps, luxury hotels, and picnic areas with panoramic viewing platforms, effectively displacing the Maasai.

On April 12, 2021, the Tanzanian government declared its intention to demolish nine government schools, six healthcare centers, nine villages, and four churches. 

Maasai chief and lawyer Joseph Oleshangay successfully challenged the government in court, halting the demolition plans temporarily. 

Despite this legal victory, the government has continued to neglect existing infrastructure, leaving healthcare stations without essential medicines and basic supplies.

Tanzania's strategy to expand preserved lands has already attracted significant foreign investment. 

Last year, more than a million tourists visited the country's protected nature parks. 

Notably, China invested over $9 million in a geopark within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, which is now fenced to protect tourist facilities, barring Maasai access to their ancestral lands.

The United Arab Emirates has invested over $7 billion, including in a hunting ground in Loliondo. 

Luxury lodges and an airstrip for private planes are being developed to cater to wealthy tourists, even as traditional Maasai grazing areas are being fenced off. 

Tanzania's parliament is currently debating further proposals that could displace at least 100 more Maasai villages, potentially uprooting over 300,000 people.

Non-governmental organizations and affected communities warn that if these plans proceed, the Maasai will lose 80-90% of their traditional lands, essentially destroying their way of life. 

Roman Herre of the German NGO FIAN, which supports Maasai rights, emphasizes the devastating impact on the Maasai culture and livelihood.

To accommodate the displaced Maasai, the Tanzanian government has established a settlement in Msomera, 600 kilometers from their current homes. 

The semi-nomadic Maasai are being provided with block houses in this new settlement. 

Wilson Sakulo, the commissioner overseeing the project, insists that the Maasai are relocating voluntarily, despite widespread claims of misinformation.

International partners, including the German federal government and the KfW Development Bank, have historically supported Tanzania's conservation efforts. 

However, concerns over human rights violations have led to the suspension of significant funding. 

The World Bank withheld €150 million in tourism expansion funding, and the European Commission withdrew a €10 million project bid due to the potential displacement of the Maasai.

Despite these reservations, the KfW committed another €9 million in early 2024 for Tanzanian conservation investments, part of which is designated for building healthcare stations and schools near the protected areas. 

However, this funding indirectly supports the displacement policy, as it benefits the communities where the Maasai are being relocated.

Tanzania's push for luxury tourism and conservation is creating a stark conflict between economic ambitions and the rights and traditions of the Maasai people. 

As the government continues to prioritize foreign investment and tourist infrastructure, the Maasai face an uncertain future, struggling to preserve their cultural heritage and way of life.