Historically, community lands were sacred, used for a common good and preserved for generations to come. Land was a natural endowment that was neither bought nor sold. The 2016 Community Land Act was designed to protect this approach to community lands. But could shoddy implementation of the Act do more harm to community lands than good?
Thousands of rural and indigenous communities rely on community land to graze their animals, collect water, and celebrate their culture. Among many tribes, a large swath of the land is used to perform the practice of male circumcision, an important initiation ritual marking a boy’s transition to adulthood.
