Stand With The Maasai

Posted: 5 April 2013
We are elders of the Maasai from Tanzania, one of Africa’s oldest tribes. The government has just announced that it plans to kick thousands of our families off our lands so that wealthy tourists can use them to shoot lions and leopards. The evictions are to begin immediately.
Last year, when word first leaked about this plan, almost one million Avaaz members rallied to our aid. Your attention and the storm it created forced the government to deny the plan, and set them back months. But the President has waited for international attention to die down, and now he’s revived his plan to take our land. We need your help again, urgently.
President Kikwete may not care about us, but he has shown he’ll respond to global media and public pressure -- to all of you! We may only have hours. Please stand with us to protect our land, our people and our world’s most majestic animals and tell everyone, before it is too late. This is our last hope.

-- The Maasai community of Ngorongoro District
To Stand With The Maasai click the link, and sign the Petition
http://www.avaaz.org/en/maasai_fb_dm_3/?bzkXIdb

WS

Thats dreadful WS, I have just clicked the link and it opens the page but where it says sign the petition there is just the little circle circling, it wont open to sign. Now it maybe something to do with me or it may be the link, I don't know.
littlewid-x

Thats a buffering circle LW give it a few seconds, and the Sign the Petition will appear
I've signed to
WS

Signed.

Count now standing at an impressive 1,693,583 and rising fast.

Will international attention and these votes help or will greed prevail?

I love how the internet can counter what previously went unnoticed.

Chris

Not sure why that kept buffering for me WS, I tried it again but it did the same, so I searched it on the web and got it and no probs, I have now signed it as well.
The number is rising all the time which is brilliant and Chris lets hope this really helps and greed doesn't prevail.
littlewid-x-

Thanks LW & Chris. It worked the first time the President of Tanzania tried it, and also the Internet had an effect on the Serengeti Highway
I presume the link worked for you Chris, if not or anyone else is having a problem Please let me know on here
WS

Maasai banned from their land in favour of an Arabian hunting company
The Petition has now reached 1,703,675
Help to get it to 2 Million
If you would like to support the Maasai sign the petition Stand with the Maasai http://www.avaaz.org/en/maasai_fb_dm_3/?bzkXIdb

Maasai locked out of Loliondo, written by Ian Michler - OUR THANKS TO AFRICA GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE FOR PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS ARTICLE.
April 2013. The Loliondo Game Controlled Area (LGCA), one of Tanzania's most well-known Maasai community concessions and wildlife destinations is in the spotlight as local stakeholders and outside financial interests clash over its natural resources.

Foreign hunting company at the centre of the row
These tensions are not new, and given the location of Loliondo and the bounty of wildlife and grazing it carries, such tussles over competing land-use options are not surprising - what is surprising though is the manner in which the Tanzanian government has chosen to deal with the crisis. By choosing to side with a notorious foreign hunting company over a local Maasai community, they have shown a blatant disregard for traditional land-use rights and exposed the contradictions in their stated conservation goals.

It is suggested that the 'Ortello Business Corporation' want a new hunting block as they have killed most of the wildlife on their old one.
Lying adjacent to the north-eastern portion of the Serengeti National Park, the significant array of wildlife found in this 4 000sqkm concession has over the last two decades attracted increasing numbers of hunters and ecotourists. The current dispute involves a United Arab Emirates (UAE) based hunting company called Ortello Business Corporation (OBC) with strong links to the royal family and military leaders of this tiny Arab state - they want their own private hunting grounds within Loliondo.

For more on the story click the link below
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/loliondo.html

WS

Doogs every sigining counts. The Petition has now reached

1,713,861

Not far to go to 2 Million

WS

Thats wonderful WS, I am sure it will get to the 2 million. If anyone hasn't signed yet, please do, it only takes a very short time.

littlewid-x-

The Petition has now reached 1,725,388

WS

The Petition is just short of 1 Million, Seven hundred, & Forty thousand

Please Keep Voting People

WS