KENYA: Two African photographers promote environmental conservation with photos

Record ID: 360884

  • Title: KENYA: Two African photographers promote environmental conservation with photos
  • Date: 28th December 2009
  • Summary: VARIOUS WOMAN PICKING BAG WITH DAUGHTER
  • Embargoed: 12th January 2010 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Kenya
  • Country: Kenya
  • Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz,Environment / Natural World
  • Reuters ID: LVAW4VRK0C5UEXGRHSONQHISM4B
  • Story Text: An international photography contest promotes conservation through the lenses of professionals and amateurs.
    Kenyan photographer Jacob Otieno travelled to New York to receive the top prize for 'Picture This: Caring for the earth', a photography contest with an environmental theme that was organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
    The competition was open to professional and amateur photographers who sent pictures showing Africans conserving their surroundings.
    "I'm truly humbled by this award because it comes at a time when my country is experiencing the effects of climate change through a prolonged drought that has caused severe food shortages, dried up rivers and triggered an energy crisis. This award therefore is a testimony of the recognition, my efforts in environmental conservation photojournalism that has awakened the world in general and my country in particular to the dangers of the climate change and the need to protect our environment," said Otieno, as he accepted his award.
    In Kenya, Jacob is the chief photo editor for a local newspaper.
    He says he has always been passionate about the environment and was keen to search for his next picture as soon as he returned home.
    "This is one of the 20,000 seedlings we planted last year with a majority of women who came from the villages…some of them from cooperates. It's looking nice now. What's very interesting during that time because in the entire area, there was nothing," he said, taking pictures of the local area.
    "It's growing well and I think this will go a long way in changing our planet. Most of the parts in Kenya and elsewhere don't have trees and if we can have several of these everywhere we go, the weather in this country can change extremely," Otieno added.
    Forest conservation is a controversial issue in Kenya as the government evicts hundreds of people from the Mau forest.
    The forest is one of the biggest in East Africa but human settlement and deforestation has reduced forest cover from 400,000 hectares in the 70's to about 250,000 hectares today.
    "Everybody in the world should know the importance of environment and as people are fighting hard to make the changes that we need, without water there no people and without proper environment every living thing in the world is subject to death," Otieno said.
    The'Picture this: caring for the Environment' contest also honoured Moroccan Faiza Hajji Wozniak in the amateur category.
    Faiza was inspired by a local women's group she helps run called IFASSEN which means "hands" in the local Berber language.
    IFASSEN collects plastic bags from neighbourhoods, cleans, dries and weaves them with local grass to make baskets.
    It takes about 100 plastic bags to make one basket.
    The photo contest, in its first year, encourages Africans to document conservation efforts on the continent.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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