How do you describe Nashulai? 

In very simple terms, I would say that Nashulai is about coexistence. It is about creating balance and harmony between people and the wildlife that exists within our lands. We wanted to create a new narrative in conservation in response to the reality that unless the local people come together to craft our own story and determine our own future, then our existence is endangered.

What inspired you to co-found Nashulai? 

In the last 20 years, we went from communal land ownership, where we owed land as a group right, to land demarcation, where each family owned a small parcel of land. Families immediately began fencing their land off because they feared corruption and land grabbing. But the land-grabbers came anyway, posing as friends of the Indigenous People or coming with money. They ended up buying the Indigenous land for the price of a song. So we saw that unless we did something, we might lose this land forever. The community came together and decided that we were going to create a conservancy on the ethos of coexistence to conserve the ecosystems and our culture.

Have you seen changes in the Maasai Mara since you co-founded Nashulai? Have other conservancies been inspired by what you do?

Nashulai is an ancient birthing location for elephants. In the last 10 years, 50 elephants, hundreds of giraffes, and thousands of wildebeests have been born. We’ve seen an 80% recovery in terms of wildlife from an area that was overgrazed and overfenced. We have also seen many new conservancies spring up inspired by the Nashulai model. People have come to learn about our endeavor from near and far, including Indigenous communities from Kenya and Tanzania, and recently, Aboriginal people from Australia. Nashulai has become a story of possibility. It is a story of the 21st century, where communities are not excluded from our lands, but instead, we are seen as leaders. 

There also appears to be a deeper story about how when we are together, and when animals and humans can move freely, conflict is reduced and prosperity is promoted. Is there a larger metaphor here about humanity? 

There is a greater story. I’ll call it a colonial story. We have to tell the truth. It began with the partitioning of Africa in the big Berlin Conference in 1884-1885 when all the big powers met, and Africa was divided into countries. Before, Africans had never lived in those kinds of boundaries. We were part of free kingdoms. 

The concept of land division and control continued on regional and local scales until it came to the lands of Indigenous People like the Maasai, who traditionally did not know the concept of enclosed spaces. The Maasai have a saying that you cannot live or eat alone. We are a social community; our culture and stories reflect that social vision. Our stories are maintained when the communities are open and well-connected to one another.