Hello dear AFRISOS Friends!

The past two months have been full of inspiring moments that we want to share with you! From screening our films in villages to participating in international film festivals, each of these moments has helped us tell African stories and inspire conservation efforts.

Excited to know more about it? Read along!

Filmmaking Workshop with the Hadzabe

Adventure and discovery always bring excitement in life, but community collaboration also brings connection and understanding. Which is why we took to the road for a 10-day filmmaking workshop in Yaeda Valley, Tanzania, to learn about the abundant Indigenous heritage of the Hadzabe people.

After being inundated with applications for this expedition, we selected just five international mentees: Tabitha Wanjira (Kenya), Stephano Lihedule (Tanzania), Amani Papy (Burundi), Wilfred Mikomangwa (Tanzania), and Benjamin Chieng Owuor (Kenya). They worked alongside five Hadzabe photography mentees: Mwajuma Mathayo, Yohana Zinzi, Roghath Safari, Mathayo Mahaza and Benjamini Mashimba to create five documentaries about the Hadzabe, complemented by Hadzabe photography.

With the guidance of our expert mentors Jigar Ganatra, James Kydd and George Butler, the mentees honed their filmmaking, editing and storytelling skills in order to bring to life five remarkable short films. A huge thanks to our partners, The Great Spine of Africa, for their support to ensure that the workshop was a success.

Stay tuned on our social media platforms to see the amazing films and photos created on this expedition!

Bringing Stories to Life with Community Film Screenings  

In late September, our intern Johnson hit the road with NOMAD Tanzania, taking our films to communities near Tarangire and Serengeti national parks. Imagine the excitement as students and other community members gathered around a projector in their village to learn about wildlife and environmental conservation through cinema. 

We reached over 960 students and over 400 community members from the areas around the national parks by showcasing our films Mi Kasa, Su Kasa, Mama Rafiki, Ashura the Courageous Young Woman, Human-Wildlife Conflict, and the centerpiece film; Chameleon Corridors.

This community event’s vibrancy peaked when the SEKA Theatre Group took to the stage to perform plays about wildlife and environmental conservation, echoing the power of multimedia messaging! Between the day’s film and theater offerings, the students were brimming with questions about conservation and have vowed to share their learnings with their wider community.

AFRISOS at International Film Festivals

We’ve received the thrilling news that a selection of our films will be screened at the Green Film Festival in Accra, Ghana! This event celebrates storytelling for change, and the selected films Mi Kasa, Su Kasa, Mama Rafiki, and Human Wildlife Conflict, made during our mentorship programs, are a great proof of that commitment. 

The reason this is an especially big deal? Firstly, Human Wildlife Conflict has been selected as a finalist film! Secondly, Mama Rafiki will get huge international exposure by being shown on IkonoTV during the COP29 Summit, a United Nations Climate Change Conference that taking place this month.

The good news doesn’t end there! Our founder, Jigar Ganatra, attended the Wildscreen Festival in Bristol, UK, joining over 1500 other industry professionals, including both emerging and established filmmakers.

And to all our Tanzanian Wildscreen participants, we are excited to remind you that your Tanzania ticket grants free online access to Wildscreen materials, allowing you to catch up on live streams of dozens of sessions from this year’s festival, including headliners, masterclasses, decision-making clinics, and more! Plus, you’ll have access to the full film library of this year’s Official Selection and Panda Award nominees. That’s over 60 natural history films and episodes at your fingertips! You’ve got access to revisit the amazing sessions until 31st January 2025. 

Be sure to check your email and redeem your code. You won’t want to miss those sessions!

Meet Our New Executive Director!

We’re delighted to introduce Michael Hebron as AFRISOS’ new Executive Director! Michael joins us with a strong background in program management, community engagement and nonprofit leadership. With his skills and dedication, we can’t wait to see how he’ll help AFRISOS grow and make an even bigger impact.

If you’d like to support our mission and help us continue empowering young storytellers across Africa, please reach out to us at hello@afrisos.ngo to find out how to get involved.

Warmly,

The AFRISOS Team