Ngorongoro Tuberculosis Cases On the Rise, Linked to Forced Maasai Evictions

17 March 2024 — Revealed by award-winning Maasai activist Joseph Oleshangay via #MariaSpaces on X, the Tanzanian government which cut off medical services in Ngorongoro in a genocidal forced eviction campaign, has resulted in a highly concerning increase in tuberculosis cases in the area.

The Tanzanian government is known for restricting the flow of information and for covering up such incidents to protect its own image and interests at the expense of others, but the rise in tuberculosis cases in Ngorongoro is detrimental to not only the Maasai community in the area but also visitors and tourists alike.

We, therefore, urge the World Health Organization (WHO) to investigate this matter, and should the Tanzanian government restrict access and an independent inquiry as they did the European Parliament last year, read this article: Tanzania prevents MEPs from investigating Maasai abuses, then we will be more inclined to assume they have something to hide, in which case the world’s tourist industry will need to be informed of the dangers of traveling to Tanzania’s Ngorongoro.

Joseph Oleshangay has just become the new traditional Maasai elder … Laigwanani, after an ancient traditional Maasai rite of passage ceremony, marred by government interference, took place late last week.

For more on the Tanzania government shenanigans that preceded the ceremony, read my article Indigenous Maasai Persecution Continue Discretely, Despite Global Outcry.

We urge Tanzania’s development partners, donors, and the international community–including tourists–who in one way or another put money into the coffers of this dictatorship, to stop and think again. I wouldn’t imagine anyone with a good head on their shoulder would want to help fund a regime that grossly violates human rights.

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