Wildscreen: Science in Storytelling Programme Announced
Annual event brings together world-renowned scientists and filmmakers for science communications summit in Bristol and …
Annual event brings together world-renowned scientists and filmmakers for science communications summit in Bristol and …
1. Tell us a bit about your role!
I am the Awards and Events Coordinator, meaning I help organise the wide range of amazing events we have popping up throughout the year like screenings, talks and awards.
Wildscreen announces coveted industry awards will now take place annually.
Storytelling is what keeps us alive. It’s what has passed on the wisdom of food, medicine and survival from the very beginning of mankind to us today.
Storytelling is “part of the human plan”, ingrained in our DNA and the driving force behind everything humans do. From what you think about yourself to what you perceive of the world, most of what we know is passed on to us in some kind of story and they hold the power to make or break society.
Storytelling is an incredibly powerful tool in effecting change and I was super lucky to be selected for the Wildscreen Emerging Talent Internship hosted by AFRISOS in Arusha Tanzania.
Both very impactful natural world storytelling organizations, this internship gave me an incredible insight into how we can use our voice to tell the story of the one thing we all have in common – nature!
From hosting community screenings in the Serengeti to learning new software, it has been four interesting months that have given me a deeper understanding of the natural history industry and how we can make it more fair, inclusive and sustainable.
The greatest lessons I will leave this internship with are:
1) Mentorship is not a buzzword but is an effective tool for professional development. Goal setting within a mentorship is critical and is one way of ensuring that you are clear about what you want to achieve which will in turn allow your mentor to understand and be able to provide the right support.
2) I learnt what it means to uplift each other in a professional setting. Progress is collective and we need to use our position to uplift one another. Bringing Wildscreen to Tanzania gave me a firsthand experience into how established storytellers are using their platforms and opportunities to uplift underrepresented storytellers.
Seeing an industry that is intentionally making space for underrepresented voices, catalyzing mentorship, effective networking and providing so much support for upcoming filmmakers was inspiring.
3) Storytelling looks different for each community it’s part of. In some parts of Tanzania, stories are told through music and dance whereas for others it might be putting a screen on and watching. If we want to tell powerful stories, and people to listen, we need to understand their storytelling language. Going on the field and interacting with communities living amongst wildlife gave me the opportunity to learn more about what storytelling looks like to indigenous and rural communities in Tanzania.
I learnt these lessons by getting to be a part of incredible programmes starting with Wildscreen Tanzania – a world-leading wildlife film festival that came to Arusha and brought together over 200 people from 20 different countries!
For over 4 decades, Wildscreen has been building a community of storytellers connecting the industry through a number of programs including their flagship festival which happens in Bristol every year.
Despite 25% of their 2022 award submissions featuring African Wildlife, only 4% of delegates were African and only 7% of the films were made in Africa.The truth is, Africans are largely under-represented in the global filmmaking industry which has been built by the global west.
While this has meant the African narrative in the world has not been depicted by Africans but by foreign films and media leaving our stories and truth warped, it also means we are sitting on a goldmine of authentic, original and unheard African stories. Stories exploring ancient natural medicine, miles and miles of untouched and unexplored forests, beaches, corals, caves and communities that have maintained century-old traditions. It’s through collaboration and partnerships that are ethical and grassroots, we can unlock and uplift the next generation of natural history storytellers – from Africa!
For example, many years ago, I discovered the Hadza, one of the last hunter gatherer communities in the world, and despite them existing in Tanzania, I only learnt of them through western channels on YouTube. Their story has been told by everyone but them for centuries and so, when applying for this internship, I was most excited about the prospect of getting to interact directly with them.
Thanks to Wildscreen Tanzania that brought us all together, I got to meet members of the Hadzabe who had come all the way from the Yaeda Valley to Arusha for the festival!
Collective Responsibility
As natural world storytellers, we bear a responsibility towards the indigenous communities that have stewarded those pockets of the planet so that their stories can be told and another example of uplifting each other is Nomad.
A safari company with a network of camps in some of the most remote and biologically rich parts of Tanzania. And as you can imagine, places that have been the same for centuries often have no access to specialized healthcare like dental and eye care. Nomad is on a mission to improve and uplift the livelihoods of the communities that surround their camps through different programs including health camps, story labs and more.
As part of their outreach campaign, AFRISOS hosted community screenings for 400+ school girls living within the Serengeti ecosystem showcasing an inspiring film, the story of Ashura, one of the community’s first female conservation rangers who is working to improve human-wildlife relationships.
Over 70% of the schoolgirls had encountered human-wildlife conflict and many left the film feeling inspired to also take up conservation careers highlighting the long lasting, deep rooted impact that storytelling can have to change the world for the better!
As this internship draws to an end, I will continue to develop a journalistic story on the stewards of our natural world which are indigenous communities at the forefront of the climate crisis. More specifically, I want to focus on the increasing threat to their land rights from the growing carbon market. At the same time, I’m exploring how to use traditional storytelling to share knowledge and educate communities on their land rights and on sustainable livelihoods and on a personal level, I will continue to learn and sharpen my video editing and script writing skills.
Storytelling is a powerful tool to share ancient wisdom and I’m keen to build a bridge between the filmmaking industry and indigenous communities so that the stories they sit on can be responsibly, ethically and authentically shared with the world!
I’m incredibly grateful for this opportunity and experience to not only learn so much and visit breathtaking places, but also for the chance to meet and work with a team of talented, awesome people!
Asanteni sana!
Communications Intern • AFRISOS
This Emerging Talent Internship Scheme was developed in partnership with WWF UK creating both UK and internationally-based opportunities for 18-30-year-olds wanting to pursue a career in natural world storytelling.
Find out more here.