a f r i c a n initiatives COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT SOCIAL JUSTICE the talking stick summer 2013 We believe that “My name is Santieli Ephraim, I’m in class six in Nainokanoka primary school in Tanzania. I’m everyone has the “We Want to Shine All Over” an official in our song and dance club that is same rights but not Dancing towards an Education Olakira A. Olakira means star. We named our club a star because a star shines all over and all of us are able we also want to shine all over. This project has to exercise them really motivated parents and the population of the school has really increased. Our club Olakira has really motivated many parents and children. Make a Wrong Right now three girls from our club who couldn’t read before can now, because of our help. We a Right are still recruiting other girls so that we can give advice to each other and therefore share and solve our problems as a club. Our vision African Initiatives is a rights organisation, as Olakira A is to ensure that parents educate challenging injustice in Ghana and children especially girls and are aware of the Tanzania. Together with African partners importance of education to both boys and girls. and the communities in which they Not so many girls are getting pregnant now and work, we fight to realise the rights of they are studying hard because the project is marginalised people so that they can motivating them.” enjoy the same basic freedoms and resources as us. We share our learning The Song and Dance project is delivered with communities in the UK and Africa by the Pastoral Women’s Council and works to change perceptions, challenge with Maasai communities in the Ngorongoro inequality and increase understanding District to increase enrolment, retention and of global interdependence. performance of girls in primary school. The project uses traditional forms of communication – song, dance and drama – to raise awareness www.african-initiatives.org.uk of girl’s education and change attitudes across www.globaleducationinitiatives.org.uk communities. Facebook: African Initiatives “Darkness has now passed Twitter: @AIGlobal @GlobalEdSW and light has come. Initially girls were not educated as Brunswick Court, Brunswick Square, Bristol, Help girls to shine the people were still in BS2 8PE T: +44 0117 9150001 the darkness. The light has £54 could pay for a girl like Santieli now come and the girls are E: [email protected] (General) to attend a Song and Dance club and participate in the project for 3 years educated since parents have seen the light” Registered Charity No 1064413 could pay for a girl who is unable Cover photo courtesy of Anne Oswald £65 to attend school during the day to go to Lyrics from an Olakira A club song. RealEyes Photography evening classes for a year 2 3 Loliondo in northern Tanzania is no to this precious resource. stranger to land disputes. The latest one between the Government of Tanzania and Over 19,000 people in the past year 66,000 local pastoralists has increased have benefited from this project, tensions and calls into question the having secured access to their land and viability of a whole way of life. therefore their livelhood. Women, who traditionally are not allowed to own land In April 2013 the Ministry of Tourism have been empowered: decided to divide the Loliondo Game A Fight to the End Controlled Area into two; providing 2,500 “If today my husband sells land that Accessing Land and Livelihoods in Tanzania square kilometres for local people and belongs to both of us without my portioning 1,500 square kilometres of involvement, I will fight to the end to their land as a “wildlife corridor” as a return the land because I have learnt measure to end the two decade dispute that the law can protect me from such between local inhabitants and Dubai injustice. Also my fellow women who based hunting company, the Otterlo have been victims of land rights injustice, Business Corporation (OBC). This in you have a right to follow it up and you effect, will evict local people in favour have the support of us women. When we of hunting and squeeze them on to an go to our leaders to request for land, ever decreasing portion of land. If plans they usually tell us that our husbands go ahead there will be less pasture for already own land and we get satisfied grazing livestock and fewer water sources with the feedback we get but now we to take advantage of. know otherwise.” African Initiatives works with the Ujaama Teresia Aloise; Emboreet Village; Community Resource Trust (UCRT) Simanjiro District in Tanzania to secure land rights for pastoralists. Due to increased population and competition for natural resources; including pastoralists with their grazing herds; tourism; hunting; mining and conservation; the access, use and ownership of land is becoming increasing political. Evictions, permanent and temporary, are not uncommon and are becoming more violent. UCRT supports pastoralist communities to Support the Fight undertake large scale “land use planning”, which records the ways in which the land £16.50 could pay for one woman to £25 could pay for a community leader is used for, providing the basis for a legal participate in training to equip her with to learn skills in advocacy to protect document – a “land certificate” – which knowledge and skills about land rights their village from land rights injustice can then be used to protect their rights 4 5 The Girl Who Ran Away To School Nebiang’s Story “My father didn’t want me to come to school, so I just ran away. Then my parents told me to find some other parents because I ran away from them. My father went to the Pastoral Women’s The Accused: Council and told them not to support me in going to school because he wanted to marry me off. I woke up early one Witchcraft in Ghana morning and came to school. I didn’t know anybody, any teacher, but I told everyone my problem. They told me Women in northern Ghana have no right to go and get myself a mattress and a to land, to inheritance, to bringing up becoming invisible and faceless. They are trunk. Then I came back to school and their children, even to control over banished from the heart of their families a teacher bought me things like my their own bodies. But among the most and their community and condemned to uniform, blanket, shoes and exercise marginalised are those who are accused living in severe poverty, without adequate books. of witchcraft. Often this happens during provisions or facilities. Nebiang goes to school through The outbreaks of disease, when frightened I really study hard at school but I know Pastoral Women’s Council’s girl’s communities look for reasons for their This year, African Initiatives hopes to I won’t live in peace in the holiday sponsorship programme. They support suffering. Once accused, women are work with a new partner to support because my parents do not want me to girls through school in northern Tanzania subjected to severe torture whilst any these women. The Grassroots Sisterhood go to school. I’m afraid because once I financially; on the understanding that property they have been able to acquire Foundation is based in Tamale and go home they will force me to marry and those girls will then return to their is torched, vandalised or “inherited” has begun to support the inmates of I don’t want to be married. I want only communities as role models in the by their accusers. Often their ‘guilt’ the camps and the communities that to study. I want to study, go to university future. depends on nothing more than how a condemn them. They believe that and then come back and be a teacher.” chicken lies when slaughtered. the key to challenging these harmful traditions is education: education for In the Northern Region alone there exist those victims who need to understand seven ‘witches’ camps’ spread over six where they can go to for support and districts. They house approximately 3000 education for the communities both women and over 600 children of school to prevent the allegations in the first going age that have been accused and place and to prepare the way for the Change a LIFE sent away. Generations of women are in reintegration of the accused. Education the camp; allegations follow daughters leads to understanding, and it is only even when they try to move away. When by understanding the violations of £300 could fund a girl like £36 could pay for her uniform a woman is accused of witchcraft she these women’s rights that they can be Nebiang through school for a year and books and other incidentals withdraws from the community, protected from them. 6 7 Paragon School Cake Sale Sponsors School Fees for 2 Maasai Girls Cordelia Scott, Year 4 teacher at Paragon School, Bath explains why they decided to raise money for African Initiatives’ partner the Pastoral Women’s Council. “A collection of amazing “In the first half of the Spring Term, Year 4 at Paragon School are sponsoring the children wrote their own mini two Maasai girls in Tanzania who would perspectives from around ‘Tanzania Project’. A lot of the otherwise not be able to afford to children included information about attend secondary school. Naishowra S. the world” education for girls in Tanzania, as Kilayo, eldest of 7, who wants to be they had gleaned information about it a teacher and Soola Koriata, one of from a fantastic workshop that African 17 children (her father has 4 wives).