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Written by Dr. Paula Kahumu, CEO of WildlifeDirect and producer and presenter of Wildlife Warriors
Wildlife Warriors breaks new floor as the primary TV wildlife documentary sequence made by Africans, about Africans and for Africans. Our objective is to shine a light-weight on Africa’s unsung conservation heroes to encourage a brand new technology of conservationists to comply with their instance. 
The sequence is the brainchild of my group, Kenya-based WildlifeDirect. Season 1 featured 14 wonderful heroines and heroes engaged on the entrance line of wildlife conservation. It was first aired on Kenyan media large Citizen TV in 2019, reaching 51% of the inhabitants, and has since been re-broadcast a number of instances in Kenya, in addition to being made obtainable on streaming providers to viewers in 26 African nations and the world over. Season 2 is extra formidable, with increased manufacturing values. It was launched in Kenya earlier this yr and has already gained 4 worldwide awards on the Worldwide Wildlife Movies Competition (IWFF) and Pridelands Movie Competition (PWFF), whose judging panel counseled Wildlife Warriors “for its contributions to altering behaviour, altering the narrative and empowering the subsequent technology of filmmakers and wildlife protectors”. At IWFF, the episode on defending elephants in northern Kenya “The Royal Elephants of Samburu” gained The Greatest Youth Program award, whereas your complete Wildlife Warriors was awarded Greatest Sequence. The third prize was the Particular Jury award awarded to me for my contribution throughout the subject of wildlife tv and for serving as a task mannequin for Wildlife Warriors’ viewers of school-aged kids and past. Wildlife Warriors is the one wildlife documentary sequence made in Africa by Africans for an African viewers. At PWFF, The complete Wildlife Warrior sequence gained the Particular Jury award.
Wildlife Warriors is a celebration of African creativity and enterprise. In Season 2 we meet African scientists pushing the boundaries of scientific analysis, communities who’ve banded collectively to create new protected areas, tribal elders defending sacred forests, and fisherfolk restoring dying coral reefs.
Audiences in Kenya have responded enthusiastically. The applications have impressed them to go to nationwide parks to see the wildlife featured within the episodes for themselves, to have interaction with the problems by discovering out extra and signing petitions, and to take motion to enhance their native surroundings. Hundreds of kids have joined Wildlife Warriors Youngsters golf equipment in colleges, the place, along with classroom actions based mostly round TV sequence, membership members work together with nature by means of visits to Nationwide Parks and observing native wildlife. The golf equipment additionally perform modern tasks of their communities, together with tree planting and waste recycling schemes
The sequence has introduced new recognition to the conservation heroes featured within the episodes, serving to to extend native assist for his or her tasks and entice extra funding. Heroes featured in Season 1 have gained prestigious worldwide awards and scholarships for postgraduate research at main universities and analysis institutes.
Wildlife Warriors can also be reworking the African filmmaking panorama. Once we began, African wildlife filmmakers have been skinny on the bottom, and we struggled to seek out and prepare a crew. The success of the sequence has stimulated huge curiosity in wildlife documentaries amongst African broadcasters and movie manufacturing firms, and now worldwide producers are investing in coaching African expertise. The demand for African-made wildlife movies will not be restricted to Kenya and that’s why WildlifeDirect is presently working in 5 African nations on one other sequence which will likely be launched later this yr.
We’re tremendously excited to be in Kigali, Rwanda for the Africa Protected Areas Congress to showcase our work to our brothers and sisters from throughout the continent. Episodes have been screened at varied venues at APAC. WildlifeDirect’s important occasion was in room AD11 on the twentieth of July. We additionally screened on the Conservation Alliance of Kenya (CAK) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Kenya pavilions on Tuesday nineteenth and Friday twenty second of July respectively. Members may also contact us to get entry to observe the sequence on-line. It’s our hope that very quickly Rwandans will be capable of take pleasure in each seasons of Wildlife Warriors on Rwandan TV. We additionally hope to incorporate Rwandan conservation heroes in Season 3, which we’d love to provide in partnership with Rwandan filmmakers, to showcase the nation’s excellent conservation successes.
For extra info, please attain out to:
Carol Ng’ang’a, Communications Supervisor [email protected] OR Trish Sewe, Chief of Celebration [email protected]
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