INTRODUCTION

Anyone who visits East-central Africa especially Tanzania and Kenya for academic or adventure or just a safari holiday, will never be able to avoid seeing the adorable people of East-central Africa, the Maasai. Anywhere you go in towns or countryside in the above mentioned countries you will meet the Maasai people. For example, in Tanzania the Maasai have inhabited Longido district along the great East Africa road for about 200 years. Upon arriving in Longido area they face out the Datoga or Barbaig, the Nilo- Hamitic speaking pastoralists who came as earlier as 300 or so years before.

The Maasai have since occupied the area living with environment and wildlife harmoniously. The Maasai people dwell also in the eastern, northern, and western parts of Ngorongoro Conservation Area while the Barbaig reside in the southern part by Lake Eyasi, outside Ngorongoro Conservation Area. They also occupy parts of the great plains of Serengeti National Park and other famous parks in Tanzania and Kenya. We can certainly assert that apart from the attraction of national parks which is the primary reason for many tourists' visit to East-central Africa, the Maasai people are another reason that makes many tourists, anthropologists and archeologists come to visit Eastern-central Africa.

The Maasai have been viewed by many, both insiders and outsiders, as the iconic, traditional representation of Africa. This representation of the Maasai affects not only external perceptions and ideas about the Maasai but also internal perceptions and ideas about what it means to be Maasai. A person or groups identity is not a static, singular phenomenon, but composed of multiple identities and layers which are constantly changing.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

For recent years, maasai cultural heritage has been faced with several problems and intruders such as;

Religious beliefs,that changed the total ways of worship and belief among the maasai.

Education; where most children are acquiring new cultures when at school which affect the original way of living.

Interaction with other cultures, example chaggas, and other swahili basing tribes.

Globalization; where nowadays most maasai use phone to communicate compared to the past time where communication was possible by sending a messenger from one place to another.

Politics; where they adapt new ruling system of leadership.

VISION

This proposal aims at the following accomplishment.

Preserving maasai cultural heritage by involving scholars from different aspects in maasai culture.

Rising awareness on the importance of preserving culture for present and future generation, by visiting schools which are found within maasai land especially Longido district.

Lunching maasai platform that will involve “friends of maasai” who are people that support preservation of our culture.

Building of a primary museum, where part of tangible and intangible cultural heritage will be preserved.

Educate the community about negative impact of (FGM) female genital mutilation.

Education and involvement of the whole community on the importance of preserving culture.

PROJECT GOAL

Future building of huge maasai cultural preservation center, that will involve large part of maasai tradition and customs in East-Central Africa and worldwide.

To train and equip volunteers, schools and churches on how to duplicate the maasai cultural heritage preservation program in other locations

OUTPUT INDICATOR

It is envisioned that there will be a positive increase and progression in:-

Preservation of lost tradition in maasai culture.

Local community sustainability

Creation of Employment Opportunity

Increasing trained staffs for the growing community and tourism industry

EXPECTED BUDGET

The project will be conducted at Arusha region,Longido district in seven villages which includes;Kitenden,Tingatinga,

Sinya, Ngereyani, Ngarenaibor, Ketumbeinie and Longido.The villages are divided into three division that includes Enduimet, Ketumbeinie and Engarenaibor which are approximately 100kms from their headquaters.

Expected population of Longido district where the projected will be conducted is approximately 123,153 according to 2012 National census. The number of people who I expect to collect the information is atleast 50 people in each village.

The number of days to conduct the project is approximately 3-4months. I will have a personal team of 4 people that I will be working with.

TABULATION OF THE BUDGET

PARTICULARS

ITEMS QUANTITY

AMOUNT(Tsh)

Amount(US$)

Voice Recorder

1

150000

75

Camera

1

400000

200

Transport

(Car/motorcycle)

2

0000 x x 2

1250.56

Accommodation

98days

000 x x 98

2626.18

Food

000 x x 98

1750.79

Medicine

000 x 4

44.66

Emergence

50000

22.33

TOTAL

US$5969.52