ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF TOURISM PARTNERS

Currently, Kijijimoja blogger is the only Media Friend of the International Council of Tourism Partners in Kenya. To join please visit this website www.tourismpartners.org.
 

The International Council of Tourism Partners (ICTP) is a grassroots travel and tourism coalition of global destinations committed to quality service and green growth. The ICTP logo represents the strength in collaboration (the block) of many small communities (the lines) committed to sustainable oceans (blue) and land (green).

ICTP engages communities and their stakeholders to share quality and green opportunities including tools and resources, access to funding, education, and marketing support. ICTP advocates sustainable aviation growth, streamlined travel formalities, and fair coherent taxation.

ICTP supports the UN Millennium Development Goals, the UN World Tourism Organization's Global Code of Ethics for Tourism, and a range of programs that underpin them. The ICTP alliance is represented in Haleiwa, Hawaii, USA; Brussels, Belgium; Bali, Indonesia; and Victoria, Seychelles. ICTP membership is available to qualified destinations free of charge. Academy membership features a prestigious and selected group of destinations.

ICTP has members in Anguilla; Aruba; Bangladesh; Belgium, Belize; Canada; Caribbean; China; Croatia; The Gambia; Germany; Ghana; Greece; Grenada; India; Indonesia; Iran; Korea (South); La Reunion (French Indian Ocean); Malaysia; Malawi; Mauritius; Mexico; Morocco; Nicaragua; Nigeria; Northern Mariana Islands (USA Pacific Island Territory); Sultanate of Oman; Pakistan; Palestine; Rwanda; Seychelles; Sierra Leone; South Africa; Sri Lanka; Sudan; Tajikistan; Tanzania; Trinidad & Tobago; Yemen; Zambia; Zimbabwe; and from the US: Arizona, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Maine, Missouri, Utah, Virginia, and Washington.

Partner associations include: African Bureau of Conventions; African Chamber of Commerce Dallas/Fort Worth; Africa Travel Association; Boutique & Lifestyle Lodging Association; Cultural and Environment Conservation Society; DC-Cam (Cambodia); Euro Congres; Hawaii Tourism Association; International Delphic Council (IDC);  International Institute for Peace Through Tourism (IIPT); International Organization of Electronic Tourism Industry (IOETI); Positive Impact Events, Manchester, UK; RETOSA: Angola - Botswana - DR Congo - Lesotho - Madagascar - Malawi - Mauritius - Mozambique - Namibia - South Africa - Swaziland - Tanzania - Zambia- Zimbabwe; Routes, SKAL International; Society for Accessible Travel & Hospitality (SATH); Sustainable Travel International (STI); The Region Initiative, Pakistan; The Travel Partnership Corporation; vzw Reis-en Opleidingscentrum, Gent, Belgium; as well as university and educational institute partners. 

For more information, go to: www.tourismpartners.org .

THE LEGEND OF MBATIAN, LENANA AND SENDEYO

The greatest of the Maasai medicine-men was Mbatian, after whom the summit of Mount Kenya is named. He died in about 1890, at the time when an outbreak of rinderpset swept through East Africa.

When on the point of death, he called the elders of Matapato, the sub-district in which he lived, and said to them: ‘Do not move from your country for I am about to die, and I will send you cattle from heaven. If you move, you will die of smallpox, your cattle will all perish, you will have to fight with a powerful enemy, and you will be beaten. I wish my successor to be the son to whom I give the medicine-man’s insignia. Obey Him. The elders said: ‘Very well,’ and left. When they had gone, Mbatian called his eldest son Sendeyo, and said to him: ‘Come tomorrow morning for I wish to give you the medicine-man’s insignia.’ Sendeyo replied: ‘Very well,’ and went to lie down.

While this was taking place, Lenana, who had hidden himself in the calf-shed, overheard the conversation. He arose early in the morning and went to his father’s hut. On his arrival he said: ‘Father I have come.’

Now Mbatian was very aged and he had only one eye. He therefore did not see which of his sons was before him and gave to Lenana the insignia of the medicine-man, at the same time saying: ‘Thou shalt be great amongst thy brothers and amongst all the people. ‘Lenana took the medicine-man’s insignia and went away. Sendeyo then went to his father, but was told that his brother had already been there and been given the medicine-man’s insignia. When he heard this, he was very angry and said: ‘I will not be subject to my brother; I will fight with him till I kill him.’ Mbatian died and was buried near Donyo Erok. When he was dead, some of the people  proclaimed Lenana the principal medicine-man, ‘For’ they said, ‘Mbatian told us that he would give the insignia of his office to whichever of his sons he wished should succeed him.’ They therefore remained with Lenana. But others said: ‘We will not acknowledge this man for he is a cheat,’ and threw in their lot with Sendeyo. Now disease broke out amongst Sendeyo’s people, many of whom died, their cattle all perished, and they were defeated by the Germans; whilst those people who remained with Lenana did not fall ill, and they obtained cattle, as Mbatian had predicted. The two rivals waged war for many years, and eventually Sendeyo was beaten. He came in 1902 to beg his brother to allow him to live with him, and peace was concluded between the two parties.

The Masai: Their Language and Folklore

A.C. Hollis