Elephants in Tanzania

Monday 8 September 2014

The Village Meetings

Rainbow light strikes pink flocks of distant flamingoes on plains of East Africa
This was not my first village meeting. In fact, I can’t remember how many times I have sat, surrounded by the Masai in their red shukas, discussing land, poaching, charcoal burning and conservation.

This was the first meeting, however, for Liz, my niece and protégé.

We had been called to Ol Tukai village to talk about our leased area and the conservation development work we are doing there.

We left Arusha to arrive for a meeting starting at 10 a.m. We sat outside the village offices, greeting the tribal elders, elected officials and the women as they slowly arrived over the next four hours.