In 2018, a shocking report by The Oakland Institute revealed that the Tanzanian government has cooperated with safari companies to intimidate and violently evict Maasai from their homes. Tanzania’s conservation laws are being used to dispossess the Maasai of their lands to “protect” wildlife. In reality, traditional Maasai livelihoods actually benefit wildlife, while tourism and hunting actively threaten them. The confinement of Maasai to small parcels of land also exacerbates food insecurity as their ability to graze cattle and grow food is restricted.
This story is not uncommon in East Africa. For decades, governments and foreign safari companies have colluded to dispossess local indigenous communities throughout the region. At Adumu Safaris, we refuse to be complicit in the human rights abuses endured by the Maasai. We are pioneering equitable ecotourism to empower Maasai and return land to their hands.