DON’T TAKE OUR PICTURE (usitupige picha)

By VALENTIN

The above words were said by one of the maasai moran in 2009, it was the blue Sunday when a group of ten Malambo ward leaders rent out two hard top Tdi cars from Malambo to Oloirobi Ward (in NCA), the reason for this was 5 cows and three donkeys from Barbaig tribe(known by maasai as Mang’ati) were stolen by maasai suspected to be the resident of Malambo ward. The allegation was solved in the meeting previously held at Olbalbal ward where the accused five morans were fined 5 cows each. The Mang’ati were given 9 cows by Oloirobi residents with the agreement that, people from Oloirobi to continue searching the cattle robbers and punish them accordingly including fines and strokes.

The Oloirobi people caught the thieves, the question remained was where these thieves came from? The question was very difficult since other were arguing that they belong to Malambo ward and others they belong to Olbalbal ward. This question remained un-answered till one Korinka(the current moran age set) laigwanani announced that the thieves belong to both wards and all are his people according to his political boundary.

Oloirobi residents didn’t like Olbalbal people to be associated to this case with argument that they have been in unstable state with them; therefore they will be able to settle down the case with Malambo residents.

The Mang’ati people took 9 cows but Oloirobi residents wanted 74 cows as compensation for their 9 cows taken by Mang’ati tribe. The earlier meeting held at Olbalbal agreed to pay 19 cows to the people of Oloirobi, Some of Oloirobi leaders saw that agreement as unfair and therefore 74 cows are fair to them. The Oloirobi traditional leaders under the control of their Councilor invaded the two families of the accused morans and select 16 best cows from every family but on the way towards to the third family, they were stopped by one laigwanani from the area who prohibited them taking other cows. The 32 cows already gathered were taken to Oloirobi under the escort of Mgambo from Oloirobi before they receive an order from the DC ordering them to stopping the process and wait traditional process to finish the issue.

By that time I was doing my B.A (UDSM) College dissertation titled ‘Impacts of Water Use Conflict on Peoples’ livelihoods in Tanzania. A case of Ngorongoro District at Malambo Ward’. I got a golden chance to be in a group of leaders from Malambo ward but unlike a leader in a group, my task was to cover parts that will be suitable/relevant to my Thesis but also as upcoming learner growing with reading culture/written culture, my appetite was to see how the dialogue will be conducted without making reference to any written document and reaching undocumented and unsigned paper conclusion. Profoundly, I succeeded in everything I wanted for my thesis and lifelong learning of our tradition.

As a researcher, I understood that a single ‘picture’ express more than thousand words, therefore to support my analysis and findings therefore I have to attach some relevant photos. As a dialogue become very burning I picked out my pocket Camera and wanted to have some photos not only for class examination (Thesis) but for my remembrance/kumbukumbu during open debates with traditional leaders. When I requested them to allow me to have some photos, I was asked a number of questions including if I paid fees to the NCA (most tourist pay fees for photos)since the meeting is conducted in NCA, the other question was If am an investigator(mchunguzi), I tried to explain my concern to them but since I came with the other group which was likely to win the dialogue and later won, I was prohibited to take pictures although I told them am a student from UDSM doing part of studies outside classes yet I was blocked.

Failed to take pictures, I had to get into out Land Rover which looks like a tourist car and picked out my Camera very gently, putting off flash and covering it with my handkerchief and making a small hole that only enough to the lens size and take the best picture showing the whole meeting.

The meeting ended well by giving back 17 cows to Malambo ward and Oloirobi took 15 cows which were agreed without any complain from any of the two sides.

NB; At the end I concluded that despite the fact that I was prohibited from taking photos I still love the meeting recommendations and hate some of educated maasai in the meeting from ngorongoro who at the end I knew they were working with Pastoral Council (a body ‘a toothless dog’ which represent pastoral maasai in NCA).

Thanks for reading