Members’ Voices: PiusMbogo Matunge, Tengeneza Generation

15/11/2022

The Mountain Partnership - the United Nations alliance dedicated to mountains - is all about working together for sustainable mountain development around the world. Our vast and diverse membership counts over 470 members to date, across governments, intergovernmental organizations and civil society.

In this latest Members' Voices feature, the Mountain Partnership Secretariat interviews PiusMbogo Matunge of Tengeneza Generation. Read what Pius has to say about the importance of the mountains and their biodiversity to the people and cultural history of Tanzania.

Tell us about yourself. What is your role at Tengeneza Generation? 

I am Pius Mbogo Matunge, a son of Chief Kilala Matunge. The Matunge community is a chiefdom clan from the Sukuma people. Sukuma translates to "northern people". The Matunge are known for their knowledge and skills in traditional healing. They are also conservationists, as they rely on nature’s herbs for their healing properties. The Sukuma are among the 120 tribes in Tanzania whose culture is embedded in the wildlife, nature and forests.

Personally, I am passionate about the conservation of biodiversity, just like my family. I am a founder and director of Tengeneza Generation (TEG) and a curator at MAZI, an art and culture initiative under TEG working with artists and cultural groups to preserve African art and culture. We were the first non-governmental organization from Tanzania to join the Mountain Partnership in January 2022. I am also a curator with eight years of experience in ecobusiness, art and culture, and sustainable development. I have designed and implemented programmes aimed at empowering young people, including with disabilities, especially in the communities adjacent to mountains. 

What is Tengeneza Generation, and how is your mission related to mountains?

TEG was founded in 2007 by myself and my friend Godfrey Mohere as a youth group. We met in secondary school while volunteering in school outreach programmes with the local communities. Through this experience, we learned about the hardships young people face due to limited livelihood opportunities to increase their capacities to generate income and create their own businesses.

The name “Tengeneza” means building – building a generation that represents the needs and desires of young people. We believe they have the potential to support sustainable community development.

Of all the sub-Saharan African countries, Tanzania has a vast natural environment with about 840 protected areas, including 12 nature forest reserves. The Morogoro region where TEG is headquartered has more than four nature reserve areas that are part of the Eastern Arc Mountains, such as the Uluguru Nature Forest Reserve.

Our mission is to work with young people as champions of change within their communities. In turn, they work with their families and neighbours to drive sustainable development. We use innovative ways to help communities value their environment and recognize the value of the ecosystem around them.

Why do mountains personally matter to you and your local community?

Tanzanian art and culture are embedded in wildlife and nature. For our communities, the forests are places to pray and worship ancestors, to collect herbs and animal droppings used in preparing medicines, and where all traditional training such as rites of passage and initiation ceremonies take place. According to the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), the Eastern Arc Mountains have lost 70 percent of their forest area in the last 100 years, mainly due to anthropological activities adjacent to the nature reserves.

“Losing mountain forests means losing our art, culture and history, as these mountains represent our identity of who we are and what we believe in.”

For example, the Uluguru Nature Forest Reserve is an important catchment area in Tanzania. It is the source of water for the Kidatu Hydroelectric Power Station, for large-scale rice and sugarcane farming, and feeds the Ruvu River, which supplies water to the Dar es Salaam Region. In addition, it supports the livelihoods of more than 151 000 people living adjacent to the Uluguru Mountains.

What projects is TEG working on that promote sustainable mountain development?

To achieve our goals in the mountain ecological and cultural sector, TEG organizes and oversees different programmes. For example, through the Yajue Mazingira Programme, we have worked with 13 multidisciplinary artists, 4 curators and 6 art photographers to research and document the nature, wildlife, culture and traditions of the communities living next to nature reserves.

TEG has documented and archived 3015 photographs of Indigenous Peoples in the mountains as well as threatened species like three-horned chameleons, Indigenous birds and the African violet found in the Eastern Arc. Also, we have audiovisual documentation of the traditional music of Waluguru, the oldest man in Choma village who is 107 years old as of 2022; slave trade routes; landscapes; traditional cuisines; native fruits and deep forests of the Uluguru and Mkingu nature reserves. This programme was done in collaboration with Tanzania Forest Service Agency, Nafasi Art Space, French School in Dar es Salaam, Raleigh International and Raleigh Tanzania, among others. 

In September 2022, we were invited to by the Mountain Partnership Secretariat to share 19 photos from the Yajue Mazingira Archive as part of a digital exhibition during the Sixth Global Meeting of the Mountain Partnership in Colorado, USA.

To expand the Yajue Mazingira Programme, we are currently building an artist hub and residency in Choma village in the Uluguru Mountains that will focus on using art and artists to document and tell stories of the mountains.

What should other Mountain Partnership members know about the people living in the Uluguru Mountains, and why is conserving the local mountain ecosystems important?

The Uluguru Nature Forest Reserve is one among eight nature reserves found in the Eastern Arc Mountains in Tanzania. It is widely known for providing immense ecosystem goods and services, ranging from supporting rural livelihoods and providing freshwater, to sustaining biodiversity and acting as a carbon sink.

The Waluguru Tribe are a Bantu-speaking mountain people and include at least 52 Indigenous groups originating from various places in Africa that met in the Uluguru Mountains and developed a strong culture whose traditions are recounted in the stories of their traditional leaders. Waluguru history and culture are embedded in the Uluguru mountain forests, and their community depends highly on the forests for their livelihoods.

What tangible impact has your organization had on communities? 

Through the continued determination and efforts of TEG staff and partners, we have increased the socioeconomic status of many Uluguru mountain communities through ecotourism initiatives. By providing them with conservation education, trainings on tourism promotion, and physical signage, this as increased discussion around ecotourism and led to TEG securing partnerships with two reserves - the Uluguru and Mkingu nature reserves - and the CEPF.

More specifically, we have measured the following impacts:

•      Since the beginning of our activities, more than 273 people have visited the local nature reserves, mostly from Tanzania but also from abroad. The eco-tourism activities have generated more than USD 10 000 through the different activities and services provided by the communities.

•      In the Choma community, 35 people are now members of the ecotourism services group, and 273 people from the wider community have benefited through selling products from their farms and providing transportation.

•      Our platform has supported and engaged 13 multidisciplinary artists, 4 curators and 6 art photographers to develop skills in research and conceptualization, broaden their networks and explore the Tanzanian art and cultural context.

•      Visual material (i.e. photos and text stories) have been created that document tangible and intangible aspects of Tanzanian mountain history. They are valuable tools for raising awareness about nature, art and culture while also creating an audience for the use of art as a social impact.

Currently, TEG is overseeing the construction and establishment of a campsite for artists that will bridge the gap between art and nature in the Uluguru Mountains.

What does it mean to the Tengeneza Generation to be a member of the Mountain Partnership?

Umoja ni nguvu utengano ni udhaifu – these were the words emphasized by our Former President of Tanzania, Julius Nyerere, which translate to “Unity is power and separation is weakness”. Joining the Mountain Partnership symbolizes the unification of our work and impacts by creating a platform where TEG, its partners and community members can learn and share while forging new pathways to protect and enjoy Tanzania.