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New
date for cancelled Ogiek fete
by Jennifer Wanjiru, Rights
Features Service
(December
20, 2000) The Ogiek Welfare Council has organized another cultural
fete on December 31 running to the new year after police
cancelled a two-day fete set for December 9 and 10 that coincided
with the International Human Rights Day.
Confirming
the new date, Ogiek Welfare Council spokesman J. K. Towet said
they have invited the provincial administration "because we have
nothing to hide."
"All we want
is to celebrate our culture and reward those elders who have resisted
attempts to have the Ogiek thrown out of their habitats," said
Towet.
Police cancelled
the December 9 fete, arguing that they had not been informed in
good time to organize security, but this was quickly dismissed
by the Ogiek as an excuse to frustrate the community.
The Ogiek
inhabit the wood-rich Mau Forests, where they have lived as honey-hunters
for many years. They have taken the government and senior officials
to court over continued destruction of the Mau Forests and allocation
of their land to outsiders.
During the
cancelled meeting a police officer expressed surprise that the
Ogiek had turned up in large numbers for "an unlicensed meeting"
and hardly go for "national celebrations."
Although
cultural and political meetings are no longer required to be licensed
it was not clear the police officers from the local Elburgon Police
Station insisted that they had not issued a permit.
"We have
now informed them as they wanted and even invited them to come
and witness us celebrating our culture", says Towet.
The cultural
celebration comes at a time when international organizations are
rallying together to campaign for the Ogiek and protest against
continued loss of their land.
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