Joseph Moses Oleshangay is a Tanzanian lawyer and human rights activist specializing in Indigenous land rights and environmental justice. He has worked with the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) since 2018, where he leads advocacy and litigation on land-related human rights violations affecting pastoralist in northern Tanzania.
A member of the Maasai community from Ngorongoro, Oleshangay has been a central voice in national and regional campaigns challenging the displacement of Maasai communities from their ancestral lands in Ngorongoro and Loliondo. His work confronts the intersection of conservation policy, commercial interests, and Indigenous rights.
Oleshangay has represented communities before Tanzanian courts and regional human rights bodies, drawing attention to the human cost of exclusionary conservation models. His leadership and courage were internationally recognized when he received the 2023 Weimar Human Rights Prize for his outstanding defense of Indigenous peoples’ rights in East Africa.
Despite operating in a challenging political landscape, Joseph remains steadfast in advancing justice, cultural survival, and sustainable coexistence between people and nature. His advocacy continues to inspire local and international solidarity around Indigenous land rights and environmental accountability.