BY GRACE MACHA IN ARUSHA
A media non-governmental organization is on an indigenous knowledge drive.
On Saturday last week, it launched a book whose 3,000 copies will be distributed to schools and other stakeholders to sensitize the communities on conservation.
Media Aid for Indigenous and Pastoralist Community (MAIPAC) will use books and documentaries to spread the message.
The project is funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through its small grants programme.
Also incorporated is the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), a multilateral fund that provides grants to environment projects in developing countries.
The minister of State in the Vice President's Office (Environment) Selemani Jafo graced the launching ceremony at an Arusha hotel.
He lauded the media outfit, saying it was the first initiative to bring to light the role of the indigenous knowledge in sensitizing communities on environment care.
"This is a commendable effort. Indigenous knowledge has saved our forests and water sources for generations", he said.
Mr. Jafo expressed his desire for the UNDP and other agencies to continue to support the initiative with additional funding.
The book is a brainchild between Maipac and Civic with collaboration of Legal Aid Organization (Cilao), another Arusha-based NGO.
Mussa Juma, MAIPAC's executive director said after the book launch, documentaries on TVs and radio stations will follow.
"The drive will largely focus on application of indigenous knowledge to mitigate environmental degradation like destruction of water sources and forests", he said.
He added that indigenous knowledge is the cornerstone of the project, noting" We have to document the traditional skills which will disappear".
The project, which was launched in August last year, is also supported by the German government through its Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety ministry.
The book was written following surveys conducted by researchers hired by MAIPAC in the three focal districts; Longido, Monduli and Ngorongoro..
"They went through the remote villages in the northern regions to collect data on environmental challenges caused by climate change", he said.
The survey also revealed the impact of prolonged drought which was more noticeable among the nomadic herders in the northern regions.
"The books contained information on indigenous knowledge used by the pastoralists to protect water sources and forests", Mr. Juma went on.
Traditional leaders from the Maasai community as well as representatives from a raft of pastoralist NGOs in Arusha attended.
The one year project has the blessings of the Environment Division in the Vice President's Office which will monitor and coordinate its implementation.
A representative of the Arusha regional secretariat Ms Blandina Nkini said the region has over 1,000 NGOs but only MAIPAC was passionate on indigenous knowledge.
Mr. Juma,who has defined his journalism career with the pastoralist communities in the past two decades, said his NGO's long term plan is to set up an indigenous knowledge centre.
Indigenous knowledge refers to understanding and skills developed by local communities in their interaction with their nature.
In many places across the world, indigenous knowledge plays an important role in conservation as well as disaster mitigation.
At times, indigenous knowledge is found to perform even better than modern science and technology, according to experts.
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