Wednesday is market day at Magadi. Hundreds of local Maasai arrive to buy or sell goats, stock up on foodstuffs and household goods and catch up on the local news. They set up stalls under the shade of grass-built shelters from 5am. By 7am the cool morning air is thick with the smell of freshly cooked meat. Most are dressed in brightly coloured traditional robes: The men’s belts holding long knives; Technicolor beaded earrings hanging from the women’s elongated lobes.
Late in the afternoon donkeys are being packed with goods for the return walk home. A back of a utility vehicle is packed with young men with further to travel. Knots of long-limbed men and women stand in the shade of trees discussing market issues.
For Joel Sayianka, senior chief of the Massai in the Magadi district, the market is an important event. It allows him to meet and communicate with the people he represents. Today he’s using it to update people on the Magadi Soda centenary events planned for Friday. An open invitation has been extended to the community and he expects up to 1,000 to attend.
‘Senior,’ as Sayianka is respectfully addressed, has been involved in community leadership for 30 years. Magadi-born and a former teacher, his role as a chief is now full-time. Selected rather than elected, he represents some 30,000-people acting as a bridge between government and local people. His father before him served as a chief until 1961. He can reflect on a half centenary of relations between the Magadi Soda Company, now Tata Chemicals Magadi, and the indigenous people. He is full of praise for the company and the impact it has had in the community he represents.
“You have to applaud them. To sustain a business for a hundred years is no mean feat. It’s tough. The environment is harsh. They’ve built a sustainable business.”
He talks about a symbiotic relationship between the company and his constituents. “The community needs the company and the company needs the community. It’s important that we continue to support its growth.” He works closely with company management on a range of issues. He says those relations have been formalised in recent years – less dependent on the personal relationships he or his forebears have been able to forge with successive managing directors. “We meet regularly and address a number of issues relating to the welfare of the local people.”
He stresses the importance of education of Maasai and the way the company-funded school has been instrumental in increasing attendance of Maasai children. “Its vital that our people make the most of the educational opportunities. The company-sponsored bursaries mean we have children going onto higher education. I want to see them coming back and taking management jobs in the company.”
His comments are echoed by Lucy Mbuthia, principal of Magadi Secondary School. The school is owned and maintained by the company. She and her staff of nine are government employees. When she arrived 20 years ago less than 20% of her students were Maasai. The majority were children of Magadi Soda Company employees. Now over 75% of her 180 students are Maasai.
There is still a problem of low uptake of girl children. Girls make up less than a third of the students. She’s working had to encourage the education of girls but there are entrenched cultural barriers that remain, she says.
Mark Hannant is a business writer and communications consultant. He lives in Mumbai.
This blog was exclusively written for Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations. You can read more exclusive content here.
For interview requests with the author, or for permission to republish, please contact outreach@gatewayhouse.in.
© Copyright 2011 Gateway House: Indian Council on Global Relations. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized copying or reproduction is strictly prohibited