Written by Max Malloy, Jaëlle Marlier and Anna Leitch
This week we said goodbye to Uganda and once again made our way into the hot, dusty and beautiful south of Kenya. After flying into Nairobi, we drove south to our camp on the outskirts of the Amboseli National Park and in the northern shadow of Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro. We were introduced to the camp’s director, Moses Okello, who kept us laughing as he described his camp and the surrounding area. He explained how the camp is owned by Americans who send students each year for a field study program. The Americans, however, had chosen not to come this year, so the baboons had taken over the camp in the meantime. He was so overjoyed and pleased to announce that he was “American and Canadian at heart, and 100% Kenyan!”. As we began our third session, we split into the two final courses of the field study, Anthropology: Environment and Development, and Geography: Dilemmas of Development.
Our first activity at this site consisted of visiting the local market and taking part in the weekly bustle that was a local Maasai soko. Everyone within a 50 km radius of the town congregates on Tuesdays in order to buy and sell livestock, crops and household goods. Each class was given a specific assignment, geography’s consisting of determining how much the goods sold for and how the prices had fluctuated in the last year, whereas anthropology observed the demographics of those at the market and inquired how far they had traveled to arrive. As the only wazungu (“white people”) at the market, each of our individual groups were at some point swarmed by very persistent Maasai Mamas selling their beadwork. For many, the only way to get out was to buy the jewelry already put onto our bodies by the Mamas. We all congregated in the end with colorful beadwork on our wrists, an assortment of fruits and vegetables in our hands, and smiles on our faces due to the extreme energy, colors and laughter that the market provided.
Following our day at the market, we were acclimated to Amboseli’s biodiversity and social dynamics by guest lecturers Jackson and Benson, representatives of the African Conservation Center and the Amboseli Ecosystem Trust. They have us basic background information on the Amboseli region, such as it being approximately 6000 km2 and the national park consisting of 392 km2 of this area. Amboseli is famous for its large number of elephants (approximately 1600), with the park hosting 400 at a time. This has resulted in human-wildlife conflict as elephants often invade local farms, kill livestock, eat the vegetables, and destroy property. Socially, Amboseli’s local population is primarily pastoralist, and the park is surrounded by 7-8 “group ranches”. These group ranches have served as buffer zones for the surrounding park and wildlife corridors. Another area of importance discussed was the good relations between NGOs, conservationists, the government, and local communities around the park. This positive setting has permitted the development of a community management plan and around 253 activities that benefit the communities. For example, conservation NGOs provide employment and school bursaries for children.
Arguably the most exciting part of our stay in Amboseli was our two games drives, one at 6am and one at 4pm. These game drives exposed us firsthand to the biodiversity we had heard so much about. The park boasted relatively flat grasslands, perennial swamps, and a beautiful view of Mt. Kilimanjaro. We witnessed a large numbers of elephants, vastly outnumbering previous sightings in the Maasai Mara Reserve and Nairobi National Park. We were able to pull within 10 feet of one of nature’s largest mammals and see its gentle side after hearing so much about the negativity surrounding their role in the wildlife conflicts in surrounding areas. Besides elephants, we witnessed a large variety of wildlife such as hippos, Grant’s gazelles, and wildebeests, to name a few, but elephants definitely took the prize.
On Thursday our group had the chance to hear from local Maasai youth on the topics of conservation, tourism, and common challenges they face. The individuals present were either between jobs, employed by NGOs, worked in tourism or held teaching positions in the area. Most of the youth were from Namelok District, and knew each other from being part of Namelok Elites, a local youth group. When asked to talk about common obstacles in their lives, the youth mentioned barriers in accessing education and positions of political leadership. Difficulties regarding economic empowerment and employment were also mentioned. The two young women present specifically discussed their gendered limitations. They explained how in Maasai culture, women can sometimes be perceived as assets to be traded and exchanged through marriage. An often taboo topic, female genital mutilation (FGM), was also openly mentioned as a cultural pressure faced. On the topic of conservation, the group expressed both positive and negative aspects. Sponsorship of children through school was one benefit, and another was the employment opportunities created through the conservation process. The difficulties discussed revolved around the lack of timely delivery of compensation in the face of human-wildlife conflict. After this discussion with the entire group, many in the Anthropology class had the chance to conduct one-on-one interviews with the youth. It was great to get the chance to exchange with peers from another continent. The exchange of life stories was overall positive, and exposed both students and visitors to new perspectives.
Canadian Field Studies in Africa - 2015 Edition 