Contested Claims: Marine Conservation and Natural Gas Extraction in Southeastern Tanzania
Contested Claims:聽Marine Conservation and Natural Gas Extraction in Southeastern Tanzania
Justin Raycraft
黑料不打烊 University
This talk focuses on the social and political dimensions of the Mnazi Bay-Ruvuma Estuary Marine Park (MBREMP) in southeastern Tanzania, and the large-scale gas extraction project that is ongoing within its catchment area. It draws from ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Msimbati, a coastal village situated in close proximity to the main gas wells within the MBREMP. Specifically, it examines the extent to which the proposed benefits of these projects are actually distributed to the residents of Msimbati. The MBREMP is framed publicly as a means of protecting marine biodiversity and promoting sustainable economic development in coastal village communities. Similarly, the popularized narrative surrounding the gas project emphasizes the notion that all Tanzanian citizens will experience economic prosperity following the extraction of the gas. However, the empirical reality in Msimbati diverges from these abstracted claims. Contrary to the proposed benefits for coastal village communities, this talk highlights village residents鈥� lived experiences of increasing livelihood insecurity, their narrative accounts of state violence, and the various forms of resistance they employ to mobilize their opposition to the projects. Ultimately, the talk seeks to demonstrate how these two projects are embedded within a model of centralized resource governance, which benefits the state, at the expense of coastal village communities in rural Mtwara.