Background 

Orkonerei Mass Media (ORMAME) is a company limited by share with a shares capital registered under the Companies Act NO 11 of 2004 of the laws of the United Republic of Tanzania, issue under section 133 of the income tax. The area of operation for the social ventures lies in the heart of the vast plains in Northern Tanzania, covering the Arusha and Manyara regions, famous for its world known national parks, and home to the Maasai, a semi nomadic tribe, sharing the same traditions and lifestyle.

Maasai are pastoralists and cattle are central to Maasai culture. Households depend upon their livestock for milk, blood and meat, the most important ingredients in any Maasai meal. Cattle also manifest the Maasai’s cultural tradition because they are used in virtually all ceremonies, such as judicial proceedings, celebratory ceremonies, marriages, and punishment. As the Maasai live in semi arid environment, communities migrate with their cattle according to the availability of water and grazing land. Livestock may have to move to very far distances, sometimes over thirty kilometres from the ‘permanent’ home. This may mean permanent settlement in a new area, in order to provide adequate pasture for the livestock.

Maasai society is structured in an age-oriented system, where each man passes through three main life stages: boyhood, warrior-hood and elder-hood. Stage transitions are marked by individual ceremonies involving various activities that are enjoyed by the entire community. Family life among the Maasai is very patriarchal. The man is the master in the home and in all family matters. Men are allowed to marry more than one wife. The more economically sound a man (family) is, the more likely such a man will marry a second or even third wife. As in many other African cultures, extended family relationships are much respected. These include cousins, aunts, uncles, sisters, brothers, nieces, nephews, and even in-laws. The family clan remains a strong entity and family disputes are resolved by a panel made up of clan members, and all events, be they happy or sad are shared by the whole clan.

Traditionally in Maasai culture, men are the heads of the households and any decision on matters to do with livestock and family asset rests with him, as well as participating in decision making at the larger community level. At marriage, the custom of giving dowry is also still much respected. The practice is that the aspiring groom acquires his bride by giving cows, goats, local brew, and other gifts to his father-in-law. Dissolution of marriage after such an “exchange” is extremely difficult as “once cattle have been received by the girl’s family all efforts are to keep these cattle within the family – at all costs”. In the same vein, the practice of arranged marriages is still prevalent, although it is gradually disappearing in some places, especially in the trading centres and towns where younger people now tend to marry for love. 

A pertinent issue particularly to women in Maasai land is that of “female circumcision,” also referred to as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). This refers to the removal of part, or all, of the female genitalia in a “traditional rite carried for maturing girls at their puberty stage”. The main perpetrators of this practice are elderly women and men in the communities. FGM is therefore mainly practiced in the name of tradition and culture, as an initiation rite, the practice being one of the rituals that defines who is in the culture. The practice, which is generally done without anesthetic, is reported to have lifelong health consequences including chronic infection. It may also lead to severe pain during urination, menstruation, sexual intercourse, or childbirth. For many young girls, FGM is also a psychologically traumatising experience. Although there are no official numbers, anecdotal information reveals that some girls actually die from the ritual, usually as a result of bleeding or infection.

The Maasai face serious challenges to their way of life due to outside pressures. They have lost over 20,000 km2 of their best watered grazing land to national parks and commercial farm land, exacerbating the difficulties during the recent drought in 2006, the worst in the region for over 20 ears. Official figures show total cattle mortality within Simanjiro district between January and February 2006 of approximately 21,000 animals. The high livestock mortality has meant that many families are unable to afford school fees and have become totally reliant on the community to survive. With the onset of the rains, diseases such as anthrax and East Coast fever have emerged and are causing further livestock deaths, reducing the ability of the families to recover.

Because of their traditional way of living the government and other institutions perceive them as primitive and treat them as mostly ignorant obstacles to development progress. For this reason, the Maasai are neither included in development plans, nor consulted in issues directly concerning their lives. They have been left behind during colonial times to now in terms of provision of social services like education, health, water, livestock services as well as marketing for their livestock. Land rights have been taken away to pave way for the establishment of national parks, Game reserves, hunting blocks and mining activities as well as establishment of large-scale farming for wheat, barley and flowers.

The Maasai are now facing an alarming loss of their land, and youth and women are ending up in big cities and towns seeking jobs of low status and quality because of lack of required education and information as well as ending up knowledge of herbs selling traditional and other traditional medicinal plants at very low prices.

Business profile of ORMAME 

        Mission 

The main reason for existence of ORMAME is to “facilitate social and economic  change through access to information and education for pastoralists’ communities in a sustainable way”

Geographically isolated communities with particularly poor infrastructure are continuously in need of information and education to keep up to pace with development changes.   With access to information and education rural communities have the possibility of engaging in relevant development processes and reduce the development exclusion likely to emerge because of isolation from main economic hubs. 

        Vision 

Our vision “well informed and knowledgeable pastoral community”.

  Background  

Orkonerei Mass Media (ORMAME) ni kampuni ndogo na kushiriki pamoja na mji mkuu wa hisa iliyosajiliwa chini ya Sheria ya Makampuni ya 2004 NO 11 ya sheria za Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania, suala chini ya sehemu ya 133 ya kodi ya mapato ya ya. Eneo la operesheni kwa ubia jamii liko katika moyo wa kubwa katika nchi tambarare ya kaskazini mwa Tanzania, mavazi ya Arusha na mikoa ya Manyara, maarufu kwa dunia yake inayojulikana hifadhi za taifa, na nyumbani kwa Wamasai, nusu ya kuhamahama kabila, kugawana sawa mila na maisha.

Wamasai ni wafugaji na mifugo ni muhimu katika utamaduni wa Wamaasai. Kaya hutegemea juu ya mifugo yao kwa ajili, damu maziwa na nyama, muhimu zaidi katika viungo unga yoyote Wamasai. Wanyama pia wazi Wamasai wa utamaduni wa jadi kwa sababu wao ni kutumika katika sherehe karibu wote, kama vile kesi za mahakama, sherehe celebratory, ndoa, na adhabu. Kama Wamasai kuishi katika mazingira ya jangwa nusu, jamii kuhamia pamoja na mifugo yao kulingana na upatikanaji wa maji na malisho. Mifugo kuwa na hoja ya mbali umbali sana, wakati mwingine zaidi ya kilomita thelathini kutoka 'kudumu' nyumbani. Hii inaweza kuwa na maana ya makazi ya kudumu katika eneo mpya, ili kutoa malisho ya kutosha kwa ajili ya mifugo.

jamii ya Wamasai ni muundo katika umri-oriented mfumo, ambapo kila mtu hupita njia kuu ya maisha ya hatua tatu: boyhood, warrior-Hood na mzee-Hood. Hatua transitions ni alama na sherehe binafsi kuwashirikisha shughuli mbalimbali ambazo ni walifurahia na jamii nzima. Maisha ya familia kati ya Wamaasai ni mfumo dume. Mtu ni bwana katika nyumba na katika masuala ya familia yote. Watu ni kuruhusiwa kuoa zaidi ya mke mmoja. Zaidi ya kiuchumi kwa sauti ya mtu (familia) ni, uwezekano zaidi kama mtu anaweza kuolewa na au hata tatu mke wa pili. Kama ilivyo katika tamaduni nyingine za Afrika, uhusiano wa familia kupanuliwa ni kiasi kuheshimiwa. Hizi ni pamoja na binamu shangazi, wajomba, dada, kaka, wapwa, wajukuu, na hata katika sheria. Ukoo wa familia bado ni chombo imara na migogoro ya familia ni kutatuliwa na jopo vya wanachama ukoo, na matukio yote, ni watu wa furaha au huzuni ni pamoja na ukoo mzima.

Jadi katika utamaduni wa Wamasai, watu ni wakuu wa kaya na uamuzi wowote juu ya masuala ya kufanya na mali na familia yake hutegemea na mifugo, pamoja na kushiriki katika maamuzi katika ngazi ya jamii kubwa. Katika ndoa, na desturi ya kutoa mahari pia bado sana kuheshimiwa. mazoezi ni kwamba groom anayetaka kinakuwa bibi yake kwa kutoa ng'ombe, mbuzi, pombe za mitaa, na zawadi nyingine kwa-yake-sheria baba. Kufutwa ya ndoa baada ya "kubadilishana vile" ni vigumu sana kama "mara moja ng'ombe wamekuwa na kupokelewa na msichana wa familia juhudi ni kuweka wanyama hawa ndani ya familia - kwa gharama zote." Katika huo ven, mazoezi ya ndoa hupangwa bado ni imefikia, ingawa ni hatua kwa hatua kutoweka katika baadhi ya maeneo, hasa katika vituo vya biashara na vijiji ambapo watu sasa mdogo huwa na kuoa kwa ajili ya upendo.  

A suala relevanta hasa kwa wanawake katika nchi Wamasai ni ile ya "tohara ya wanawake," pia inajulikana kama Ukeketaji (FGM). Hii ina maana ya kuondolewa kwa sehemu, au wote, wa kike uzazi katika "wa jadi" ibada kufanyika kwa ajili ya madeni yao kubalehe wasichana katika hatua. Kuu wahusika wa vitendo hivi ni wazee wanawake na wanaume katika jamii. FGM hiyo hasa inatekelezwa kwa jina la mila na utamaduni, kama ibada kufundwa, mazoezi na kuwa moja ya mila kwamba amefafanua ambaye ni katika utamaduni. mazoezi, ambayo kwa ujumla ni kufanyika bila anesthetic, ni taarifa ya kuwa na madhara ya afya ya maisha yote ikiwa ni pamoja na maambukizi ya muda mrefu. Pia inaweza kusababisha maumivu makali wakati wa kukojoa, hedhi, kingono...