Of the people, by the people and for the people

Some wonderful happenings in Tanzania -- from the Global Post:

Tanzania to evict Maasai people in favor of fee-paying trophy hunters
Tens of thousands of Maasai people in northern Tanzania, under a new government plan, face eviction from their homes and a ban from the land their cattle have grazed for generations.

Tanzania says it will designate as a "wildlife corridor" a 600-square-mile patch of land next to the popular tourist attractions of the Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

The designation bans pastoralist Maasai herders � known for their red tartan-print blankets and intricate beadwork � from the land, but permits fee-paying trophy hunters to access the area as guests of a United Arab Emirates company called Ortello Business Corporation (OBC), which has had a concession in the area for 21 years.

No mention as to the moneys involved -- the sad thing about corruption is not that these people can be bought, the sad thing is how little money it takes to buy them. A nation of people ousted from their lands and their heritage over wee bit of saudi petro-dollars. A stupid decision too -- they will probably bring in a "Great White Hunter" to guide when they could be hiring the Maasai. Who would know the land better? Who would know the movements of the animals better? Who would be the better guide and would that not be an amazing hunt -- to be guided by someone whose family had lived and hunted on that land for generations. Think of the stories told around the campfire at the end of the day...