The Mirerani Tanzanite-the community is so detatched!!!!!

The Mirerani Tanzanite                           Nankwanga Eunice–Kasirye

The American Gem Trade Association  adopted a violet-blue stone as a December birthstone. The Tanzanite, a precious stone discovered 90 years ago, was then added to official birth stone list. The prestigious birthstone list could was probably amended to include the Tanzanite for compelling reasons since it was last revised 1912, when jewelry industry leaders met to consider newly discovered precious stones. The Tanzanite is the pride of Tanzania, East Africa and Africa.

The land of the Mirerani community in Arusha, Tanzania hosts the precious gemstone, the Tanzanite. Mirerani leaders say the Tanzanite is named so because it’s not found anywhere else in the world. The stone is found exclusively in an area not more than five kilometers long.

A miner in Mirerani township Justine Nyali says the beautiful gemstone is extracted from 300 meters underneath. In 1970, the Tanzanite penetrated American and European markets. Henry Platt of Tiffany and Co. christened it the Tanzanite and marketing campaigns to introduce it to the public begun.

According to an activist in the endowed Mirerani area, the discovery of the Tanzanite is still mysterious. This transparent blue gemstone is said to have first been seen in 1962, scattered on the Earth's surface. It is not known for certain who found the first magical gem since there are numerous versions. But according to the most widely accepted theory, it was first seen in July of 1967. A local Maasai Ali Juuyawatu found a piece near Mount Kilimanjaro and enthralled by its blue-violet tint, he shared it with Manuel his friend who linked them to the gemstone market.

The extraction and development of the tanzanite requires capital intensive methods, for instance using explosives. The miners also have to keep underground while extracting the gemstone. Small scale miners are asking government to subside the price of machinery used in mining the Tanzanite just as it does with agricultural inputs. The chairman of the Mirerani Mining Association says of his members cannot procure the expensive machinery.

The treasure is classified according to its ability to shine. The more shiny, the better the quality and the monetary value, with AAA as the best grade, followed by AA, then A, B and C. The Tanzanite is measured in grams and the local price is majorly determined by dealers who have access to the international market.  The price of a gram ranges from one million to one million five hundred thousand Tanzania shillings. Small scale miners access the market through government organized annul exhibitions in Arusha and California City.

On visiting Mirerani, one can tell that something unusual is associated with it. Situated on the outskirts of Arusha town, Mirerani sits on a hill 26 kilometers away, with a community of 50,000 people mainly supported by proceeds from the Tanzanite.

Chairman Mirami Township Charles Omeni says 80% of the population was attracted here by the Tanzanite.  But there is nothing much to show that one of the world’s most precious gemstones used  to make a variety of jewelery is mined here. The buildings in the township betray a struggling community.

The central government owns the resource on behalf of the people. It awards licenses and contracts to large scale miners. But small scale miners from the community dominate extraction.

They are given licenses to mine specific areas for at least ten years and pay taxes to the central government. Many of the mineral deposits are discovered by the individuals using rudimentary methods. But community leaders claim that government often takes over and transfers the plots to big scale miners. This is the major cause of community strife and evasion of the foreign owned plots. Those who lose plots are rarely compensated and they are always struggling to regain their plots.

The roads here are so poor, access to clean water is not guaranteed and the health facilities lack drugs and personnel yet accidents are common in the extractive industry. A labourer we found dressed in rags at the mining grounds spoke of a myth around death and accidents.

There is a claim by the miners that the more people die in the mines; the more access is opened to the precious gemstone. Haki Madini, a non-governmental organization protecting the rights of the mining community blames the stage-managed accidents on the myths. But the Haki Madini director says through sensitization and growth of the sector, such myths are slowly dying out.

 At least four big scale companies are involved in extracting the Tanzanite under a public private partnership arrangement. But the community claims they are indifferent to them since the companies rarely employ community members even for non-skilled jobs. Chairman Mirerani small scale mining Association Jeffery Backeri, says since big scale contracts are not made public, it is hard to tell whether they are supposed to employ community members. Small scale miners have employed youths from the area but their impact is minimal.

One Charles Frank, a laborer from the small scale mines, says he has been working here mines for at least 10 years but has nothing to show for it. He, however, hopes that one day things will improve so that he can build a house and start a family. Frank says the only time he gets a good shower and a decent meal is when he returns to his home about 20 kilometers from the mining ground.

He says the mine owners determine the price the Tanzanite is sold to them and it is often mostly half of the market price. All the laborers have to share this money, leaving each to take a pittance.
 The miners have to cut corners to hide the treasure and sell on the black market. Despite his woes, Frank is respected among his colleagues; he speaks good English and they trust him.

Whenever it rains, the laborers run under the mines for shelter. But it is not safe, because water sometimes collects in the pits, leading to drowning and death.

 The pits are often dark and hot with little oxygen supply. Many laborers go down there with no health and safety gadgets with only the head torch for lighting.