Clockwise from top:: A school boy pedals the stationery bicycle at Kanyunga Primary in Ngare Ndare; Locals watch the cinema at Ngare Ndare shopping center; Hannah and Jamie from Stand Up For Nature during the screening at Painted Dogs and Redeemed academy pupils in Likii at their school hall .
In the month of March, the residents of Laikipia were treated to a bicycle-powered cinema that revealed the success of community conservation and celebrated rhino and wildlife conservation heroes.
The cinema came a month after Laikipia Wild Forum (LWF) and four Laikipia rhino conservancies hosted two young film-makers from Stand Up For Nature during the shooting stage. The filmmakers, who are dedicated to conserving wildlife, returned to show the films using a homemade, bicycle-powered cinema.
In a span of five days, together with LWF team, they braved unseasonable, heavy rains and muddy roads screening the films in the County with a focus on rhinos, wildlife conservation, healthy and sustainable rangelands and conservation education.
The film reached more than 2,600 community members and school children and further emphasised the rhino as an iconic species that can be used as a showcase species for maintaining wildlife habitat in general.
The cinema event coincided with the World Wildlife Day 2018 and used #VifaruWetuMaliYetu (Our Rhinos Our Asset) as guiding principle during its screening. It was especially important in the County because it currently hosts about 50% of Kenya’s black rhino population and 70% of Kenya’s white rhino population.
Celebration of our local conservation heroes is important because they are part of the larger community that is helping Kenya achieve its goal of having 2000 rhinos by 2025.
This film and cinema were supported by Laikipia Wildlife Forum and four Laikipia rhino conservancies: Borana Conservancy, Il Ngwesi Conservancy, Ol Jogi Conservancy, and Ol Pejeta Conservancy.
These conservancies played a big role in the production of the film and continue to protect more than half of both white and black rhino population in Kenya.
Upon completion of final editing, copies of the films on conservation heroes will be made available to the public by Stand Up For Nature.
