When asked to extend added publicity to the cause of
Hands off our elephants Campaign by Wildlife Direct
and Dr. Paula Kahumbu, it is a given that I help. Pleaes
share the news widely and help where and how you can.
Thanks
7th August 2014, Nairobi.
For Immediate Release
Emmanuel Jal Joins Kenyans to Mark the World Elephant Day this Saturday, 9 August at the Brookhouse School, from 10am.
Former South Sudanese Child soldier, now African celebrity, Emmanuel Jal, will Join Kenyans on Saturday 9 August to mark the World Elephant Day. This will be at an event organised by WildlifeDirect and the Hands Off Our Elephants campaign to celebrate World Elephant Day at the Brookhouse School in Nairobi. The event aims to draw hundreds of Kenyans and will raise awareness about this magnificent species that could go extinct within our lifetimes. According to CITES, poachers in Africa gun down more than 20,000 elephants each year. Participants will gain enormous knowledge, meet and be inspired by Kenyans who are making a huge difference on the ground, have fun, find out why we should care and get involved in the cause.
THE EVENT IS FREE TO THE PUBLIC AND BOTH FILMS ARE SUITABLE FOR ALL AGES
It will involve the screening of two award winning films both made in Kenya and both about elephants.
The first film, "Echo, An elephant to Remember" tells the story of one of the world’s most famous elephant, the late Echo. The film also features Kenyan Maasai scientists based at the Amboseli National Park . "White Gold", also filmed in Kenya by Simon Trevor will be screened for the first time to a public audience. This film, narrated by Hillary Clinton, tells the dark story of poaching, ivory trade and its links to armed conflicts.
Prominent Kenyans including Julie Gichuru , James Smart, Julius Cheptei, Judge Nzioki wa Kamau, Dr. Philip Muruthi, Raabia Hawa and Dr. Paula Kahumbu will join panels to discuss the various implications of ongoing crisis facing elephants in order to share knowledge, understanding and to offer solutions.
The day’s program will include entertainment and promotion of the ongoing Ndovu Music Contest, a collaboration with the New York Based PCI Media Impact and one of Kenya’s hottest hip hop artists, Juliani (www.ndovumusic.com). Eric Wainaina has just joined the team.
At just 18, Kenyan creator of Kikoti fashion, Iona McCreath will launch her partnership with WildlifeDirect with a fashion show intended to take the message “Don’t Buy Ivory” all the way to China.
“We didn’t ask him, Emmanuel Jal just offered to join us on Saturday!”, Said Paula Kahumbu, the CEO of WildlifeDirect and the Hands Off Our Elephants campaign. “Emmanuel said he has sung about elephants before, but he grew up fearing elephants, not loving them. Through Juliani and WildlifeDirect he says he has discovered that elephants are so much like humans and was shocked to hear that their suffering is directly linked to ours through armed conflicts. He is committed to reaching and changing the hearts of 300 million African people through music, to save elephants and create peace".
Emmanuel Jal will Join Kenyans via Skype to discuss his work and how it can help us save elephants and create peace. As a former student of Brookhouse School he insists that the program made him who he is.
Another famous Brookhouse scholarship student, Richard Turere the child inventor of Lion Lights, an electrical deterrent system to keep lions out of his father’s stockade, will feature on the program.
Brookhouse school has supported the event by providing the venue at no cost and several major hotels and restaurants have given prizes to be won throughout the day. The African Wildlife Foundation and Cheli and Peacock Ltd have supported the costs of the event.
The program will close at 4. 15 pm
Editor’s Note
WildlifeDirect is a Kenyan NGO and US registered 501(c) (3) organization founded in 2006 by Kenyan conservationist Dr Richard Leakey, who is credited with putting an end to the elephant slaughter in Kenya in the 1980s and delivering an international ban on ivory trade. WildlifeDirect has over the years positioned itself as Africa’s foremost campaigning organization for wildlife conservation. Hands Off Our Elephants, the flagship campaign, comprises a winning combination of expertise including, wildlife ecologists, communications, law, politics, media, strategists, and linguists, making them bold, influential, and successful. The campaign has already won international recognition for creating public awareness and driving legal reforms in Kenya and East Africa. WildlifeDirect partners with civil society, government agencies and is a member of the Clinton Global Initiative on elephants. WildlifeDirect’s vision is to secure Africa’s wildlife as a global heritage into perpetuity through policies and practices that support the development aspirations of African people. Their mission is to stop wildlife crises by inspiring all sectors of society to take responsibility and action to safeguard wildlife. By partnering with government, civil society and communities, WildlifeDirect identifies critical issues and executes innovative solutions.
For more information, Please contact Paula Kahumbu at paula or call +254 722 685 106
Kind Regards,
