The South African trailblazers seeking to change how wildlife documentaries are made
In the realm of wildlife documentaries, a groundbreaking initiative is reshaping the narrative, led by Pragna Parsotam-Kok and Noel Kok, a dynamic duo determined to amplify African voices in the field. Their journey began in 2015 when they embarked on a wildlife series for South African TV, only to encounter a startling reality: the scarcity of African wildlife documentary makers and the arduous task of accessing animals for filming.
This realization sparked a transformative endeavor. The couple founded the Nature Environment and Wildlife Conservation Trust (NEWF), a not-for-profit organization, and organized a conference in 2017, bringing together African wildlife filmmakers. However, a subsequent challenge emerged in 2018 when they struggled to find African underwater filmmakers for a panel discussion on oceans. This led to the realization that many marine biologists on the continent lacked basic swimming skills, let alone scuba diving expertise.
The Koks responded with a pioneering approach, organizing NEWF's inaugural dive "lab" in 2019, which attracted 10 attendees, marking the inception of a diverse fellowship program. This initiative aimed to address the dearth of black African nature, environment, and wildlife filmmakers, a group that Noel Kok humorously noted was rarer than the very species conservationists sought to protect.
The impact of this initiative is profound. Over 200 divers have been trained in Sodwana Bay, a haven for Africa's southernmost tropical coral reefs. Simultaneously, hundreds of fellows have honed their wildlife filmmaking skills on land at Bayala, a private game reserve. NEWF's commitment to enhancing the authenticity of storytelling extends to music composition workshops, addressing the common issue of generic background scores in wildlife documentaries.
A pivotal moment occurred in 2021 when NEWF fellows, including local musician Koolkat Motyiko, composed the score for a National Geographic film about Botswana's Okavango Delta. This composition won the Best Original Score at the Jackson Wild film festival, surpassing Hans Zimmer's score for David Attenborough's 'Frozen Planet II'.
The Koks' collaboration with local diver Silindile Mbuyazi is another testament to their impact. Mbuyazi, who sought to find her brother's body in Sodwana Bay, discovered a newfound passion for diving, leading to the creation of eKhaya, a dive and filmmaking center built on her grandmother's land. This center, named after the Zulu word for 'home', offers an editing suite, a dive pool, and accommodation for fellows.
The Koks' influence extends beyond eKhaya. They have trained over 150 NEWF fellows in diving and are negotiating new funding from National Geographic for projects like a dive boat and a fellows' house in Bayala. Their efforts have attracted international attention, with Ethiopian filmmaker Elshadye Berhanu participating in a two-month residency, resulting in a film about cheetahs and Mbuyazi.
Berhanu's experience underscores the transformative power of NEWF's workshops, which provide invaluable practical and creative skills. The initiative's success lies in its ability to empower individuals, bridge cultural gaps, and foster a community of passionate filmmakers and conservationists, ultimately contributing to a more authentic and diverse representation of Africa's wildlife in the global documentary landscape.
