I’m sorry if I come off defensive in the following comment but I have a lot of beef with people who fall back on the social darwinistic crutch in these situations. I know you don’t approve, but by saying that this ‘is the way the world is’ is basically an excuse. It shows one is quick to give up and how easy it is to fail to stand up and fight for the Hadza’s rights to live how they want to.

Sure, the social environment is changing in Tanzania… But the ecology isn’t. Ecologically speaking, the Hadza are very capable to continue to survive. They are not currently able to survive in the global socioeconomic environment, as evident by their inability to sway the UAE offer to by out their land. Does that mean we should give up and let the deal go thru? Does that mean that is how the world is and they are not deserving to live the way they choose to? No! In times like these, people help one another out and spread awareness about injustice happening.

The social world is not fixed in the survival of the fittest mode that controls much of the natural world. Often people group together to help one another out and overcome adverse conditions.

“This is not a case of survival of the fittest, at all. The Hadza are very fit to live in Africa. They are actually very good at it.’

The problem is that the environment is changing. They have obviously been able to survive in the past but ecological conditions are changing. Because of human influence but changing nevertheless. You say, “They play dirty. They play with a lot of cash and a lot of clout.”

I’m afraid that is the way of the world. It’s possibly always been like that but with greater firepower the effect now is greater. I’m not saying for a moment that I approve.

It is very interesting to see the world alarming for the displacement of Hadza tribe as if they are the useless animals in the bush who need to be hunted to reduce its population.

Hadza community is as any other community that requires all services from the government, NGO’s, Institutions and Individuals.They need ownership of their land just like us,need to be involved in the day to day development practices of their land like anyother community.

The overall process of taking up the hadza community land has been full of corruption, untransparent and comfisticative that infringe the lives of hadza community.The Hadza population is numbering down every morning and evening.They live in ecosystem systems while we others are living in a destructive manner. We do destruct the environment we live in,the environment that support our living but no any self/personal traditional way we do to save our environment. Actually , I am very disturbed personally by the so called UAE safaris to hunt in the hadza area.What I do ask myself everyday about the hadza land and hunting processes that are been planned is, Does our government care about us as communities or they just look for their interests?

Does the government talk or plan for good governance and transparence deep from their heart or its just the way of taking big shares from many to few?Is this the way of investment processes taken by other countries or its ours only in Tanzania? Do Tanzania Government care more of cash that goes to private individuals than its community,the community that vote for their government?

It is so amazing to see such a very blind minds of our planning system and the overall procedures taken by our government without considering the community.

What I would like to advice is that,the government should have to review its decisions and do it in aparticipatory manner.No one is claiming for the investments/privatization but what we are alarming of is the process and procedures taken as if the area is open land with no person living in their.Let them consider the Hadza community as people with minds and ability to decide on what to do for their land.Let them be included in decision processes especially that either positively or negatively affect affects them.

Thanks in deed

Emmanuel Noel
Arusha.

I read the Daily Mail article and it generally was well thought out… what I do not appreciate is the social Darwin turn-for-the-worse tone it took to explain the ’survival of the fittest,’

“Yet there is no place for sentiment in the natural world. As Gonga instinctively knows, the weak seldom survive in Africa.

“If any one species does not become modified and improved in a corresponding degree with its competitors, it will soon be exterminated,” wrote Charles Darwin in The Origin Of Species, under the heading Natural Selection.

Whether they are driven off their land by the petro-dollars of Arab princes, forced into ‘modern’ homes by the Tanzanian government, or corrupted with cash and alcohol as a result of performing for tourists…”

This is not a case of survival of the fittest, at all. The Hadza are very fit to live in Africa. They are actually very good at it.

What’s happening is beyond me to fully explain. All I can make sense of is that two external groups have come in to determine the fate of the Hadza. They play dirty. They play with a lot of cash and a lot of clout. According to Afarensis, they have now even have resorted to, ‘accusing NGO’s, social researchers and documentary filmmakers of various human rights abuses.’

This will not help out the Hadza at all, nor will it help out Tanzania. I don’t need to rehash the cultural sanctity argument. Tanzania will lose an important culture, damage its ecology, and really make itself a sellout to us outsiders.

There are some interesting discussions brewing up. There’s a new Yahoo Group about this, with a whole lotta links to other news sources covering this topic. It maybe a good idea to join up with them. Also, the discussion brewing at the bottom of the Daily Mail is also very interesting and stimulating.