Help Shani, indigenous Hadza man, go to law school
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Shani Msafiri Mangola, a Hadza hunter-gatherer from Tanzania, has been accepted into the Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy Program at the University of Arizona Law School (https://law.arizona.edu/indigenous-peoples-law-policy). Shani and I have created this Go Fund Me site together – and all of the information that he wants included can be found below, including his story in his own words.
From Shani:
“I am only one of a few dozen Hadzabe to ever go to secondary school and only one of ten Hadzabe people to ever go to college. I am the only Hadzabe person to ever receive a law degree. I want other Hadzabe children to have the access to education that I received. I will be the first Hadzabe person to leave Tanzania to pursue a post-graduate degree. I want to learn about human rights advocacy, indigenous community and economic development, and how to best help my people achieve the protection of cultural and natural resources.
I am part of my community. I am Hadzabe. I am a hunter-gatherer. I am a lawyer. I want to return to Tanzania after receiving my degree to help my people. To help them continue their traditional way of life in any way possible, and to assist the people who want to transition away from the bush life into the village life.”
More information on Shani’s journey:
I am an American anthropologist from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. I have known Shani since 2010 and I have worked among his community collecting nutritional and ethnographic data since 2004. I have seen firsthand that he is a respected liaison between his community and scientific researchers and community aid organizations working with the Hadza. He is committed to obtaining his Master of Laws degree so that he can return to Tanzania and advocate for his people.
The Hadza are one of the world’s few remaining foraging populations. Any quick Google search will demonstrate that they have long held the fascination of researchers, media outlets, and tourists. While many Hadza are still semi-nomadic, reside in the bush, and consume a diet largely composed of wild plant foods and game animals (which they hunt with poison tipped arrows), many of them have already assimilated in to the village system. With each passing year, the amount of land that the Hadza can reliably use to live on is shrinking. They are also facing issues such as lack of healthcare, reduced access to water, a decline in wild food abundance (based on climate change in Northern Tanzania in general), and for those who are interested, serious obstacles in the way of obtaining elementary education. Shani wants to obtain his degree, return to Tanzania, and begin addressing these issues - from the ground up and with Hadza as primary stakeholders. He wants to assist the Hadza who want to continue foraging to maintain and expand their land rights and to assist those who have transitioned out of the bush to obtain clean water, adequate food, and education.
Shani recently completed his Bachelor of Laws degree at the Tumaini University Makumira in Arusha, Tanzania. He has been awarded a scholarship that covers tuition and fees ($26,000), but the University of Arizona requires proof of an additional $18,000 to pay for on campus housing, living expenses (e.g. meal plan), and mandatory graduate student health care. He has successfully raised $10,000 from European donors - and is now trying to raise the remaining funds here, on Go Fund Me, to meet his goal.
The money raised here will be used to help pay for the above costs as well as student visa fees and airfare from Tanzania. His program starts in August 2019, so time is of the essence. Once the money is raised, I will be withdrawing it on Shani's behalf and then transferring the funds to a bank account in his name upon his arrival in the US. He will be able to access the funds as soon as Go Fund Me allows me to withdraw funds on his behalf.
(Note: above story was slightly modified on 6.25.2019, per the request of Go Fund Me administrators, to provide more detailed information about how the funds will be accessed and how I know Shani. The main content of Shani's story remains unchanged from the original post.)
Below, please find the link to a video that tells Shani’s story, created by:
Friends of Serengeti http://friendsofserengeti.org/
Heritage Foods Africa : https://heritagefoodsafrica.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/heritagefoodsafrica
LINK to YouTube video on Shani’s story:
From Shani:
“I am only one of a few dozen Hadzabe to ever go to secondary school and only one of ten Hadzabe people to ever go to college. I am the only Hadzabe person to ever receive a law degree. I want other Hadzabe children to have the access to education that I received. I will be the first Hadzabe person to leave Tanzania to pursue a post-graduate degree. I want to learn about human rights advocacy, indigenous community and economic development, and how to best help my people achieve the protection of cultural and natural resources.
I am part of my community. I am Hadzabe. I am a hunter-gatherer. I am a lawyer. I want to return to Tanzania after receiving my degree to help my people. To help them continue their traditional way of life in any way possible, and to assist the people who want to transition away from the bush life into the village life.”
More information on Shani’s journey:
I am an American anthropologist from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. I have known Shani since 2010 and I have worked among his community collecting nutritional and ethnographic data since 2004. I have seen firsthand that he is a respected liaison between his community and scientific researchers and community aid organizations working with the Hadza. He is committed to obtaining his Master of Laws degree so that he can return to Tanzania and advocate for his people.
The Hadza are one of the world’s few remaining foraging populations. Any quick Google search will demonstrate that they have long held the fascination of researchers, media outlets, and tourists. While many Hadza are still semi-nomadic, reside in the bush, and consume a diet largely composed of wild plant foods and game animals (which they hunt with poison tipped arrows), many of them have already assimilated in to the village system. With each passing year, the amount of land that the Hadza can reliably use to live on is shrinking. They are also facing issues such as lack of healthcare, reduced access to water, a decline in wild food abundance (based on climate change in Northern Tanzania in general), and for those who are interested, serious obstacles in the way of obtaining elementary education. Shani wants to obtain his degree, return to Tanzania, and begin addressing these issues - from the ground up and with Hadza as primary stakeholders. He wants to assist the Hadza who want to continue foraging to maintain and expand their land rights and to assist those who have transitioned out of the bush to obtain clean water, adequate food, and education.
Shani recently completed his Bachelor of Laws degree at the Tumaini University Makumira in Arusha, Tanzania. He has been awarded a scholarship that covers tuition and fees ($26,000), but the University of Arizona requires proof of an additional $18,000 to pay for on campus housing, living expenses (e.g. meal plan), and mandatory graduate student health care. He has successfully raised $10,000 from European donors - and is now trying to raise the remaining funds here, on Go Fund Me, to meet his goal.
The money raised here will be used to help pay for the above costs as well as student visa fees and airfare from Tanzania. His program starts in August 2019, so time is of the essence. Once the money is raised, I will be withdrawing it on Shani's behalf and then transferring the funds to a bank account in his name upon his arrival in the US. He will be able to access the funds as soon as Go Fund Me allows me to withdraw funds on his behalf.
(Note: above story was slightly modified on 6.25.2019, per the request of Go Fund Me administrators, to provide more detailed information about how the funds will be accessed and how I know Shani. The main content of Shani's story remains unchanged from the original post.)
Below, please find the link to a video that tells Shani’s story, created by:
Friends of Serengeti http://friendsofserengeti.org/
Heritage Foods Africa : https://heritagefoodsafrica.com/ and https://www.facebook.com/heritagefoodsafrica
LINK to YouTube video on Shani’s story:
Organizer
Alyssa Crittenden
Organizer
Boulder City, NV