Kenyan Environmental Campaign Searching for Donors to Fund
Documentary About Environmental Threats
8/12/99
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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
Title: Kenyan Environmental Campaign Searching for Donors to Fund
Documentary About Environmental Threats
Source: World Wide Film Expedition
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint
Date: August 12, 1999
Byline: Gene Bernofsky
The coastline of Kenya, from the port of Shimoni to the ancient
village of Mambrui, is under severe environmental threat from
irresponsible mining.
The Kenyan coast is a stunning tropical paradise, with its 250 miles
of palm-fringed beaches, blue lagoons and magnificent coral reef.
Tourism, Kenya's largest industry, depends on its pristine beauty.
More importantly,many endangered species-from the only bands of
Colobus monkeys on the East African coast to Kenya's last remaining
herds of Sable antelope-depend on the coastal area's fragile
ecosystem, which is already stressed by the impacts of tourism.
Tiomin Resources of Canada has secured permission from the Kenyan
government to strip mine for titanium at five coastal sites, with
virtually no public input or media exposure. The extracted ore will
be shipped out of the country via Shimoni harbor, an important
tourist destination for whale and dolphin viewing. Kenya has no
guidelines, regulations, or protections governing mining and, with
international investment flagging, its government has welcomed
Tiomin's extensive mining project despite the threat it poses to the
environment and indigenous people.
The ancestral lands of the Digo people will be stripped of all
vegetation during the mining process, as titanium rich sands are
extracted at the rate of 1,500 tons per hour. These impoverished
subsistence farmers have already begun to sign over the surface
rights to Tiomin for paltry sums based on their land's current usage
rather than the mineral wealth that lies below its surface. Following
mining, the soil structure of their land will be lost, since
revegetation of sands is difficult, extremely expensive and, in fact,
has never been demonstrated to be feasible.
Most Kenyans are unaware of Tiomin's plans to mine their beautiful
coast for titanium, used primarily as a whitener for paint, foods,
plastics, paper and cosmetics. However, Africa, Ncha ya Uvumbuzi
(ANU), a newly formed grassroots group, plans to change that.
Organized by Dr. Kamau Gachigi, a materials engineer, and Mr. James
Gethenji, a farmer and businessman, ANU held its first meeting in May
1999, which was attended by over 200 concerned Kenyans. At the
organizers' invitation, Tiomin's Vice President of Corporate
Development, Matthew Edler, also attended.
Mr. Edler confirmed Tiomin's plans to complete a feasibility study
early in 2000, which is required to secure funding from the World
Bank. Once this study is completed, Tiomin will be free to move
forward quickly. It is therefore urgent that ANU receive immediate
support to achieve its goal of publicizing Tiomin's plans, organizing
a public response, and halting the almost certain destruction of
Kenya's coast.
ANU has sought the assistance of World Wide Film Expedition (WWFE) as
part of its campaign. WWFE, a non-profit environmental media
production group, has been producing award-winning videos for
grassroots campaigns since 1983. We produce and distribute proactive
videos at no charge to the activists who use them to document and
publicize environmental problems.
These videos enhance organizing and publicity efforts, as activists
work closely with our video production team to create the story they
want to tell, then use the video to educate and organize others.
Our videos have been central to numerous successful campaigns to halt
potentially harmful mining practices. For example, we produced the
first media piece about the Noranda gold mine that was proposed for
the border of Yellowstone National Park. Undermining Yellowstone won
two awards and propelled the public outcry which culminated in
President
Clinton's intervention to halt this mine. Our most recent video, the
award-winning Trembling Waters, exposed DuPont's plans for a titanium
mine on the boundary of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.
DuPont has since halted its plans. We have produced videos for groups
as diverse as Native American activists working to halt the expansion
of a cyanide heap leach gold mine on the Ft. Belknap Reservation in
Montana, organizing miners in Troy, Montana, and ranchers fighting a
zinc and copper mine in Montana's Big Snowy Mountains.
The video will advocate for the indigenous peoples of the Kenyan
coast, the wildlife, and habitat of the region. Using original Kenyan
music and dance, it will document the natural beauty of the area and
highlight the proposed mines' impacts on tourism. Interviews will
encompass a wide range of stakeholders including representatives of
Tiomin Resources. The program will advocate for responsible mining
and environmental guidelines.
It is important for developing countries such as Kenya to avoid the
resource exploitation habits of the West, especially given the
current global economic context. This will happen only if we can
overcome the profit-driven resource development of the past with
public awareness, participation and leadership. Kenya presents a
unique opportunity, given its government's stated aim of democratic
reforms. There is an activist base in Kenya-both environmental and
human rights-which, if informed and supported, could shape Kenya's
environmental practices in a positive manner. This base, in
conjunction with Kenya's eco-tourist operators and their clients,
will serve as the target audience for the video we plan to produce.
We intend to be on location in Kenya during February, 2000. We have
contacted over 30 "progressive/environmental" Foundations to raise a
$130,000 in grants for the project. We have had no success. The
Foundations like the project but state that their guidelines and
policies do not fund Africa.
We are writing you to ask for any suggestions you can make as to
where we may apply for funding. Please help if you can. Thank you,
most kindly.
Sincerely,
Gene Bernofsky
World Wide Film Expedition
243 Mount Avenue
Missoula, Montana 59801
USA
wwfe@ism.net
www.ism.net/~wwfe/
406.728.1341