By Madeline McGill
Violence between the Tanzanian government and the Maasai people of Loliondo has continued to mount in the face of their eviction from ancestral lands on the Western Serengeti.
Since February 12, 2015, Tanzanian government forces have begun forcibly evicting Maasai from their homes, burning houses to the ground, injuring civilians, and leaving women and children without shelter or protection.
After months of government threats, eviction became a reality yesterday for the Maasai of Loliondo, Tanzania, in the Western Serengeti. According to reports from a Maasai source in Tanzania, Tanzanian government forces have entered villages and Maasai homes have been burned. The evictions reportedly started on Thursday, February 12 and continued through today.
"Photo by Greg Westfall"
By Madeline McGill
The Maasai are one of the most well known Indigenous people in Africa. Their colorful dress and unique cultural customs make them a landmark of Southern Kenya and Northern Tanzania. With their population estimates numbering well over a million between the two countries, they maintain a sizable cultural identity amidst their ancestral lands.
Land Acknowledgement
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