For the past 60 years, the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) has been protecting animals, restoring lost habitats and advocating for policy changes that benefit wildlife. Now, the conservation organization is trying a new approach.
This year, the AWF kicked off the first ever Benjamin Mkapa African Wildlife Photography Awards. Named after the late president of Tanzania, a longtime member of the AWF board, the contest aims to reach a wide variety of audiences.
While photography competitions are nothing new, the AWF hopes that the exhibition of the winning works will encourage Africans to take a more active role in conservation, said Managing Director Kaddu Sebunya. know. “Africans need to take responsibility for preserving their heritage,” he said.
A global competition
A panel of judges, made up of photographers, conservationists, activists and hunting guides, selected photos from 12 categories including “Art in Nature”, “Living and Living with Nature”. conflict” and “Hero of Conservation”.
Last month, the category winners were announced at an awards ceremony at the National Museum of Nairobi, Kenya, along with four additional awardees.
Mércia Ángela, a Mozambican wildlife veterinarian, is pictured here with Boogli, a newborn Cape pangolin she saved. Angela raised the baby pangolin and released it back into the wild a few weeks after the photo was selected for the “Conservation Hero” category by German photographer Jennifer Guyton. Credit: Jennifer Guyton / Mkapa . Award
The winning photo is from a total of 79 selected for the exhibition, which will be on display at the Nairobi National Museum from now until mid-January.
Put everyone in the picture
The “Conservation Hero” category holds particular appeal for Kenyan conservation photographer Anthony Ochieng Onyango. A former ecologist who has worked with national and international wildlife organizations, he left his job in 2017 to pursue photography full-time.
“I realized that there was a gap in communication (in conservation) because most of what was communicated was data in scientific publications,” said Onyango.
Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Lake Victoria, Uganda, is home to 52 orphaned or rescued chimpanzees. Kenyan conservation photographer Anthony Ochieng Onyango captured this image of one of the chimpanzee’s caretakers, selected in the “Conservation Hero” category. Credit: Anthony Onyango / Mkapa . Award
Initially, Onyango had trouble finding work and began to doubt his career transition, but then he received a phone call from Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Uganda, asking him to take pictures of their rescued chimpanzees. This assignment helped launch him into a new career and one of his photographs, of a chimpanzee breeder feeding a chimpanzee, was selected for the AWF Mkapa Award.
“That particular image means a lot to me because I’ve met these really inspiring caretakers and the person in the picture is so passionate about taking care of chimpanzees,” Onyango said. He loves photographing people and animals together: “I feel like without people (in the picture), people don’t easily relate to wildlife,” he says.
Promoting the voice of Africans
While there were entries from 10 African countries in the AWF competition, Onyango was the only black African among the awardees and only one African photographer, 19-year-old Cathan Moore. from South Africa, were among the category winners.
Sebunya says there is a lack of opportunities for aspiring young photographers on the continent. He added that the AWF is looking for grants and partnerships to enable more Africans to participate next year, and that categories like “African Wildlife Backyard” help shooting competitions Nature photography is more accessible to people who cannot afford excessive park fees or buy expensive camera equipment, allowing people to use whatever camera they have and photograph wildlife in the environment. urban school.
Australian photographer, Venetian Buddhist de Soyza, captured a herd of male cheetahs crossing the Talek River in Maasai Mara, Kenya, when it was flooded during heavy rains in January 2020. It was selected for the category. “Behavior of African Wildlife”. Credit: Buddhist Award / Soyza / Mkapa
Sebunya hopes that the competition can open a dialogue about conservation – and why it is so important to Africa’s future. Many people in Africa see conservation as work done by and for foreigners, says Sebunya. While praising the work of international NGOs, he stressed that Africa’s vital voices are heard and let locals lead conservation efforts.
From January 2022, the photography exhibition will travel across Africa, North America, Asia and Europe. “This is our brand as Africans,” says Sebunya. “Through photography, we will show the rest of the world what Africa is.”
