It can seem as not much have happened lately with this project. But even though we have postponed the next Metafari in Tanzania for practical reasons the idea is living.
This is what has happened the last few months.
Metasaga /Metasgeul is a leadership concept that is now established in Shetland, Orkney and Western Isles. You can follow it on their wiki: http://metasaga.wikispaces.com
Kate Coutts is doing some really interesting work. She is also blogging her in the Metafari blog.
My Maasai partner from Tanzania, Rafael Ole Moono, is now using Twitter to share experiences from his life as a community mediator and activist.
Find him on www.Twitter.com/Olemoono or connect to him in Facebook: Rafael Ole Moono
For me, Leif Josefsson, the challenge is now to find a way to "package" and describe the ideas so that we can launch 2-4 Metafaris next year in Sept-Nov.
I am working with a couple of good friends and partners on this.
With Bengt Daniel Richardsson I will try to do some business development around the concept, and maybe also take it to the Swedish arctic area, and the stories there.
With Eva Wetterdal I want to drill down to describe the core of the ideas. Good ideas take time to develop.
I call the Metafari "Open Source Leadership development". Please join to think, post, develop, steal or just inspire. Let me know what you think!
Thank you!
Nov 1, 2009
Some words on what is going on with Metafari
Sep 21, 2009
The Story of the landcase between the Maasai and local farmers in Handeni, Tanzania
This story might give you some ideas of the challenges to our life as Maasai people
Some guys came to our neighborhood village and sold to people living there land which is our pastures for small livestock for the past 30 years.
We have neighbors who are no Maasai who have been living on this land for many years but were later taken to villages in the villageisation process that took place in 1971.
In this process all Tanzanians were required to be in the villages so they can be reached by social services. Most people were brought to villages except the Maasai who escaped to be in villages because we are nomadic people.
But where we settled now is near to a village of cultivators because of permanent water sources nearby. So our immediate neighbors are cultivators with whom we for many years have agreed to share land use and accept to bordering of limits in their expansion when cultivating. So when you come to our villages you find these places which look empty or uninhabited but they are actually our small stock pasture which is our backyard.
One guy who knew that someone had money and needed land came and decided to sell the places that look empty and got some friends to sign as people who own and want to sell the land. The guys with money went on to buy.
So what happens is that we who live in the neighborhood suddenly find people busy working to cultivate these areas. When we ask what happened they say “We have bought this land”.
So we wonder about which village leader authorized this?
Then it became even more complicated because the ten cell leader who is the lowest in the government leadership is among the sellers of land which is not even neighboring him. He says his grandfather was cultivating this place in the 60s. So we Maasai pastoralists are newcomers to the place, therefore it is not our land.
I was asked at official capacity of Imusot e Purka to give help to this situation since my work is on making advocacy and awareness to the community and the government on various issues concerning pastoralists. It is also mediate on many land conflicts between pastoralist and cultivators.
I gave these people two choices..
First, which would be my own choice, is to go and throw away the intruders so they start to go away to complain at whatever level of government they choose. This would have given the local people an upper hand in running the whole issue. It is easier to tell someone he is an intruder when they are on the complaining side.
Second follow the government procedure of solving the land conflicts which is going from one office to another requesting for judgment that involves long processes which is a magnet for corrupt people and corruption to win.
My friends chose the second option which will take more time because they trusted that the village government will see the truth and give them justice quickly. Also it is peaceful. I told them “Welcome to the agony of follow ups money consumption until you are drained empty and exhausted before you reach the justice”. When they went there the case was decided in favor of the land sellers on the ground that it is true that the land was truly cultivated by the relatives of the land sellers. The inside of the matter was later mentioned as the fact that the ten cell leader who officiated the selling of the land is a relative of the village government chairman.
So the other fellow could not make a decision contrary to the relative at the lower level. They also knew that people from these places do not know where to go next.
The community came to me to ask for what next and I directed them to make an appeal at the higher level which is the ward level. At the ward level they should have a proper hearing of bringing the complaining party and the accused party together for face to face meeting and discussions.
Also the land committee should see what land is being disputed on the ground to establish the truth of the matter. These committees never made these parties meet and they never made a visit to see the areas of dispute. Finally they made a ruling to uphold the decision of the lower land committees. The main ground of losing being the tribal hatred that makes people in my area object to the selling of land. The government people think it is not right that there is a dispute caused by tribal differences. It was never explained how this was manifested in the proceedings.
So the plaintiff community lost the case and has 45 days to appeal at the higher level which then becomes the district house and land tribunal. This district tribunal is situated in Tanga, the regional headquarters. This means costs to go to Tanga for as long as the case is not finished. The village people can’t afford this and it is a good reason for them to loose their rights. We requested for the ruling document and in it there were many irregularities from which I drafted points for a rerun of the case because crucial points were not put into consideration when making the last ruling.
The ward committee refused to make the rerun saying that their ruling was final and the matter can only be appealed at the higher level because they were not in position to do this again. So we used the same points of appeal to get to the higher tribunal which are:-
There has never been a case because the sellers of the land and the plaintiff have never been brought together to meet face by face for each to argue their case so he truth is determined from their arguments.
It has never been made clear which statute of law was used to justify the ruling in favor of the defendants.
The plaintiffs have been living and using the land for the past 30 years and the sellers of land don’t live near to the land they sold.
They never used it for the past 30 years so what what gives them the right to claim possession of the land they sold.
Why is ruling always made only to uphold the erroneous procedure made by the lower level without questioning any bit in the whole procedure? This has made us feel that something is wrong with the people who are making this ruling on this procedure. Is there corruption??
The land which is being contested is being utilized by the ones who bought it when the law says when the land is in dispute then all activity should stop. How is this possible and why are these guys having all these favors before the land committees??
The point of difficulty which we brought as a reason for the miscarriage of justice the distance from Handeni to Tanga which many people cant afford.
These and many other issues were brought forward in our appeal as irregularities in the whole process. While waiting for the answer for the re run at the ward level we ran out of the deadline for appeal. They refused and gave this answer after the 45 days deadline and we had to first struggle to have our appeal to be accepted at the higher level. This we managed as we had all reasons as to why we could be in tanga on time to lodge our cases.
The process of district house and land tribunal involves sending court summons 3 times to the defendants and when they don’t appear the case is run with one side hearing because the other side has not appeared without any reasons known to the court.
The last date of our presence in court September 14, 2009 was to set the time to start the hearing without the plaintiffs. The next date is set for the October 15, 2009 to start the hearing.
Right now there is so much food shortage such that food is very expensive and no that much money for people to afford food let alone money to travel for a case hearing some more than 270 kilometers away.
We look forward to the hearing on the 15/10.
Sep 5, 2009
Abstract
Metasaga is a journey through the culture, heritage and physical landscape. It allows leaders at all levels to engage in deep self- reflection by exploring their environment. It utilises a strengths-based, whole system approach to evaluate how they operate as leaders and the performance of the organisation they lead. It makes leaders at all levels reframe their thinking using metaphor, narrative, tradition and artefacts found in their own physical environment. It combines the business techniques of non-directive coaching, dialogue and appreciative inquiry with the traditional storytelling teaching of our culture,be that the Norse saga or Gaelic “sgeul”.
Metasaga has been used in both the private and public sector ,especially Education where pupils and staff have travelled together to create innovative courses on leadership development.
“ The Metasaga is a fantastic tool, as it encourages the young people involved to explore their local culture and understand their place in the wider world, while developing key skills such as team work and leadership.”
Adam Ingram ( Scottish Government minister for children and early years) following his participation in the Kirkwall Metasaga.
Jun 1, 2009
How perspective can change over a day through a contact across the Atlantic.
This morning I was ready to scrap the idea of the Metafari. Although it had given myself so much, I felt serious doubt about the idea, and about the possibility of getting people to join.
But a mail from across the Atlantic changed it all in a few minutes. Some wise words gave a new light to the idea, and brought the passion out again. Yes this is something of value, and yes, we are looking for journey comrades!
We are, I think, moving into a time when organizational structures will be much less rigid and fixed than ever before, and they will keep changing with the participants.
I think perhaps the essence of networks, for the future, is in the relationships between people, and (as Harrison Owen says) "holding the space" for the relationships at those various levels. So I think what you are doing, what a number of us are doing, is pioneering a new way of being together in organizational structures, that is very creative and also very challenging.
We are having to imagine new relationships and new structures, without a lot of direction or pattern to go on.
It is like that wonderful image Margaret Wheatley offers, in one of her books, of how the old rusting machinery is sinking into the ground and the green grass is growing up all around it and soon covers over the machinery. That green grass is springing up everywhere, in no particular pattern, but it creates a pattern. The question is, "how do you organize grass?" :) And maybe that is a silly question - maybe the question is how do we make the space available for the grass to grow?
Best regards,
Rosemary Cairns
Internationa Association of Facilitators
Apr 28, 2009
Join us in Tanzania Sept 19 for Metafari YaTatu
This is to invite anyone who would like to join the next Metafari, starting in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on September 2009.
http://www.metafari.com
The Metafari is not a traditional course in any way, it's an experience journey. What it could give to you, I have no idea of. To me it has provided so much that even if nobody joins anymore I am happy enough for what I have invested through three trips and 7 weeks in Tanzania since Nov 2007
- I have, on a much deeper level, understood about my competencies and about my skills. And about my capacity to use them in new environments
- I have gained a new understanding of organisations as living systems in contrast of organisations as machinery.
- The mangrove Tidal Swamp in Tanga also gave me some surprisingly effective personal tools to manage moods.
The Metafari is not a Safari. And it is not a course where we visit a Maasai village and then give our reflections on "them". Rafael is my partner, and our local connection. Being a Maasai we can work directly with English and Maasai languge when we stay at the Nanyogie Maasai Settlement.
The Metafari has been made possible thanks to Ruth Nesje who is building the Tanga International Conference Center in Tanga, Tanzania. The http://www.MeetingPointTanga.
Joining the Metafari will take your journey from Dar es Salaam, to the waterhole of Mikumi National Park, into the amazing story of Ruth's dreams and for a deep encounter with the Maasai people of Nanyogie Settlement.
After the Metafari you can stay at the Centre, or explore Zanzibar, the Usambara mountains or whatever you might want to do. Ruth and her staff will be able to arrange whatever you dream about to explore.
Finally.... People ask me about "selling" something like this in the big crisis. I have two personal answers...
- From Rafael: Aha, so the economy has gone down 5%.... Well wait until it has gone down 90%... Then we will be in more equal positions.
- Maybe it is just now that we desperately need new perspectives. And to look for new answers within ourselves with the help of new teachers. Like the Waterhole, the Termite mound, The Tidal Swamp. Or from each others
Please explore www.metafari.com for images, films. Join or create your own Meta[?]
ps. At the bottom you see. "Metafari - Open Source Leadership course" - Kate Coutts of Shetland Island took this as a challenge. So there is now a Metasaga which is an official part of the School Leadership Training of Shetland/Orkney/Western Isles
Kate is bloggin in the Metafari Blog: http://metafari.blogspot.com/
What can the place teach us?
Leif Josefsson
Apr 21, 2009
Rafael connects from Tanzania
I felt a relief of what it is like without all the beeps and rings. I have been fine and was able to meet Ruth in one of the times I came to Dar. She mentioned coming to Barcelona. I am working on some conflict situation around my home and my village area so I am kind of less in Town.
I just got a working visitor, a Norwegian who is interested to work in a maasai village as a nurse volunteer. I admire the thought and the courage to live in this back end of maasai village life.
Getting permits has been like very hectic but it looks like it shall be possible in the soonest.
How is the economic crisis in europe??In africa it is always economic crisis so no chocks as such. The bigest shock is very small rain which translates in the low harvest and therefore food shartage in Tanzania the whole coming year. It is a problem that arrives as you see and so we are looking forward to the scale of the situation.
It is great news about Linda. I admire her effort and vision to support and reach the off target direction of world underpriviledged people.
I have the phone working very well yesterday when i connect to Latitude I end up between the mainland and Zanizbar. Some satelites this phone and show totaly a wonderful fenomena of placing me in India and god knows where next.
How is Your end and the family??? I send all of you regards from this end and am relieved to know that it is summer probably otherwise it is sad for winter everyday around your life.
Bye for now.
Rafael ole Moono
p.o box 17 Handeni
Tanzania
tel: +255 784 499 332
Hi Rafael!It was a long time since. How are you? what's up? It feels empty without the lifesigns. And we need to move forward if we want something to happen around the next Metafari.I hope to present some more ideas on our network meeting in Barcelona in two weeks, and would appreciate more frequent contact with you. One way is to see you more frequent in Facebook updating your status, with small stories about what you do.I hope your Nokia phone works. Your story is so interesting, and it is very simple to use the tools.Well, no more for now before I hear from you. Then hope to have closer contact.Your friendLeif
--
Leif Josefsson
Förenklare / Facilitator
LeanderLeander AB
Communicate & Change
Ölandsgatan 48 - 116 63 Stockholm - tel +46 (0)70-773 00 54
www.leanderleander.com
Apr 10, 2009
Fårö Metafari
I have gone to the island of Fårö where our family has a summer house. The small island is also know to be the home of Ingmar Bergman, and here is also where he is buried. His modest grave is to the right.
Fårö gives you space to think. Coming here you calm down, become sleepy. After a couple of days you start to sleep longer in the mornings. In fact, already when you are on the 6 minute ferry that takes you to Fårö you start to feel sleepy.
Today I took a walk around "Alnäsa träsk", the small lake behind our house. It's a 7 km walk in a beautiful landscape of stone, colors of grey and green. And you are alone at this time of the year, before the tourists come.
I have been experimenting with Twitter for the last week or so, and now I am exploring the use to Twitpic which makes it possible to post pictures directly from the phone. So I look at the landscape with the eyes of a camera, sending images to Twitter with some words connected to them. You can follow my Twitter stream here
It is interesting to think how we could use this technology in a Metafari or a Metasaga.
