HADZABE FACE SEVERE HUNGER

A Hadzabe community living in a remote Eyasi valley in Karatu district, Arusha region is facing a serious food crisis, frightening the survival of a rare ethnic group.

An indigenous hunter-gatherers community depends on wild fruits; roots, honey and wild meats as its staple food, but farming, tree felling for charcoal and mining activities in Eyasi valley have robbed them natural forestry, a key source for their foodstuff

Now the hadzabe says that the situation has worsened food insecurity in the community as sometimes they go to bed up to three days without eating.

The hadzabe  boma leader Kankono Mkanga said that the farmers and miners have reduced their forestry, keeping the fruits and wild animals out of their reach.

“We are close to starving because no one is care about our situation. We normally used to get food aid from various churches and tourists but this year we haven’t seen anyone” says Kankono

According to a hadzabe woman Ngake Mtawona ,their ancestors land alienation by farmers, miners and livestock keepers has reduced the community to a permanent beggar.

"We are starving, all the animals have disappeared and we Hadzabe only feed on meat."  an old man who was making arrows from sticks explained through an interpreter. His wife, Ntale Nzale was keeping a tin of maize flour in their grass hut

She explained that at the moment they are forced to go begging as far as Mang’ola barazani and  Endamaga villages where they end up getting onions, which do not constitute their traditional foodstuff.

“So we are compelled to eat onions as a staple food rather than dying of hunger. We call upon government and any other well wishers to come up and rescue our community from being perished of famine” she noted. 

Eyasi Division officer, Laanyun Ole Supuk admitted that the hadzabe population  is under threat due to food insecurity, appealing to the government to supply the community with emergency food as soon as possible.

Supuuk said that the major problem of Hadzabe is their traditional lifestyle, which does not encourage keeping food stock.

“I think if they get eighty tones of maize it will help the until the high tourism season starts few weeks, normaly when tourists visits them they donate some money for their survival “Supuk  added.

 The Hadzabe, who live in small groups are believed to be less than 1,500 in total in Tanzania. This unique community is the closest cultural relative to the San Bushmen of the Kalahari in Botswana.

Naftal Zengu Kitandu, 58, a Hadzabe and Eshkesh  Ward civic leader, said the Hadzabe bush people's population has dwindled from 5,000 in 1990s to as few as 1,500 this time around.

"Invasion by other tribes from Mwanza, Karatu and Shinyanga who bring along herds of cattle and introduce farming in the valley has been threatening the survival of Hadza people who only depend on fruits, roots, honey and small animals for survival," Mr. Kitandu explained.

 Aliens' invasion, according to the Mongo-wa-Mono Ward representative, Mr. Bryson Magombe, has been destructive to the environment leading to the disappearance of most wild animal species, natural vegetation and water sources thus endangering the lives of the Hadza.

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CA, URGED TO MAINTAIN ENVIRONMENT ARTICLE IN THE DRAFT CONSTITUTION

Members of the constituent assembly have been urged not to strike out the provision on the right to a clean, safe and healthy environment.

Elifuraha Laltaika, an environmental law lecturer at Tumaini University Makumira said this over the weekend during a public lecture on the link between human rights and the environment organized the University’s Law Faculty.

“The constitutional provision will ensure highest protection of the environmental rights including the right to  sustainably use the country’s natural resources from being undermined by ordinary legislation.”  said Mr. Laltaika who is also advocate of the high court.

The draft constitution, which was unveiled by the constitutional review commission and tabled before the constituent assembly, contains the right to a healthy and clean environment in the bill of rights.

According to Advocate Laltaika, the provision places Tanzania in a list of progressive countries that have given sustainable economic development and environmental protection the highest legal recognition.

He further said that article 41 of the draft constitution provides in part that everyone living in Tanzania has a right to live in a clean, safe and healthy environment. 

In his keynote presentation, Professor John Bonine from the University of Oregon in the USA outlined the integral connection between human rights and the environment indicating that in the last forty years, more than half of the world’s nations have recognized the constitutional right to a healthy environment.

 “The landmark Stockholm Declaration of 1972 was very significant as it inspired countries to include environmental rights in their supreme laws.” Said Professor Bonine.

He argued that by incorporating the right to a clean and healthy environment in the constitution, national governments show their highest and collective commitment to sustainable development.

Commenting on the role of courts in developing progressive jurisprudence, the renowned international environmental law expert revealed courts in 12 countries have interpreted the right to life and health to include the right to live in a clean and safe environment. 

“High courts in 12 nations have ruled that the right to a healthy and clean environment is implicit in the constitutional right to life and health.” Said professor Bonine adding, “In an even more encouraging move, ninety-two nations have explicitly incorporated the right into their constitutions.”

 Professor Bonine, co-founder of Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide (ELAW), an NGO with members from 80 countries including Tanzania is visiting the University’s Law Faculty to deliver public lectures and inspire public interest lecturers and legal practitioners.

He is a member of the Commission on Environmental Law of the World Conservation Union and an elected member of the International Council of Environmental Lawyers.

His latest publication “Human rights and the environment” is used as a textbook in numerous law schools in the USA including the University of Oregon where he has been teaching Human rights and the environment for the last 45 years.

The University’s Faculty of Law occasionally invites prominent scholars to speak on diverse thematic issues relevant to the promotion and protection of human rights and the environment. Previous visiting scholars included his Lordship Gerard Niyungeko, the then President of the African Court on Human and Peoples Rights (ACHPR).

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POACHING IN EAST AFRICAN COUNTRIES IS MORE THAN WHAT STATISTICS SHOW

Dr.Paula (right)briefing journalists at the press conference from left is Cyril Akko the CEO TATO

Elephant poaching might be an even bigger problem than the East African governments think, a world-renowned wildlife activist has warned.

Dr. Paula Kahumbu, executive director of the Kenya Land Conservation Trust and Wildlife Direct, says the seizure on June 5th of more than 200 elephant tusks in a motor vehicle warehouse in Mombasa was a rude, but necessary awakening for Tanzania and Kenya.

“Look at the official statistics where Kenya says it loses only 365 elephants whereas Tanzania loses 10,000 jumbos a year. To me this is a tip on an iceberg, poaching could be bigger than what we are told” Dr. Kahumbu told media during the EA Premier Karibu Travel Market Tanzania 2014.

The Tanzania Associations of Tour Operators (TATO) owned Karibu TMT, the second largest tourism show in natural resource-rich-continent of Africa after Indaba in South Africa, is registered with the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

The theme of this year’s show taking place at the Heron Recreation Center near Arusha airport is ‘Sustainable Conservation’ which is reflection of TATO’s ‘foreign policy’ existing for the last three decades.

Dr. Kahumbu was invited to Karibu TMT in a bid to share her vast experience on conservation and the campaign against elephant poaching in Kenya with Tanzania tourism stakeholders, mainly TATO members.

TATO has also been focusing on wildlife conservation and security as the area of grave concern apart from its other mainstream roles. 

Dr. Kahumbu told international and local media on Friday that Mombasa seizure does not only exposes the magnitude of the problem, but also this huge haul, following a tipoff to local police authorities, confirms Mombasa’s pivotal role as a transit point for smuggling ivory out of Africa.

“The photographs show some gigantic tusks, undoubtedly from Kenya’s greatest tuskers. One enormous tusk in particular stood out; it can surely be linked to an individual elephant” she noted.

These can only have come from killing fields in Kenya’s flagship National Parks, like Tsavo, Marsabit, Samburu and Masai Mara, Dr. Kahumbu said, adding that the last refuges for these magnificent animals are no longer safe havens, and are under siege by increasingly well-armed and equipped poachers.

Lately, TATO has been in the forefront of lots of conservation initiatives, specifically the provision of education and leading relevant discussion forums on sustainable conservation and wildlife security of which the Karibu TMT has also acted as one of the forums.

Karibu TMT which took off on Friday also will include among others:  Music Concert with Tanzanian poet and storyteller Mrisho Mpoto presenting his hit song ‘Deni La Hisani’ (A Debt of Courtesy), a public call to action to end poaching in Tanzania – today (Sunday), 8^th June.

Chairperson of the Karibu TMT organizing committee, Vesna Glamocanin Tibaijuka says that Dr. Kahumbu was invited to share her valuable experience on a Community based conservation where she has been successful in projects of mitigating human-wildlife conflict in East Africa.

“More importantly:  there will be a launch of TATO anti-poaching Song as well as Children and Conservation where educational short DVDs Nature for Kids will be introduced at the kids corner” Mrs Tibaijuka noted.

This year’s fair attracted more than 8000 visitors from EAC partner states, South Africa, China, the US, and Europe.

In fact, Karibu TMT has become ‘the place to meet’ for the region’s travel industry partners with others from around the world.

TATO Chairman, Willy Chambullo said that should the current generation fail in battle against poaching the next generation will have no elephant to show.

“We need to join hands together to rescue elephants from being decimated by poachers. We need these animals to remain for the future generations to appreciate like our ancestors did for us” Mr Chambullo explained.

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