Jamal is our inhouse film producer, cameraman, editor and storyteller. He has a passion for making films, it was something he dreamed about frequently, playing with the idea that a camera in his hands could one day spin a story. During his weekend breaks at school, rather than join his school mates and wander around the streets, he preferred to lose himself in a story with his phone, making a short film about his sister or just his life.
When Jamal came to Honeyguide as a volunteer, we asked him what he wanted to do, what was his passion ” I would love to make videos’ was a simple answer, but in his eyes, it was a question rather than an answer; can I make videos? Jamal has taught himself, he has research and learned online and most of all, he never stops at criticizing his own work.
In 2019, Jamal entered a Global youth video competition, the Tvebiomovies. He was shortlisted from 0ver 400 applications to join the finals. He wanted to showcase where he was working and the issues that were relevant in his passion for storytelling, so he made this film “The Grazing Bank”. A film about the communities in Randilen WMA and their story about their future with the conservation of wildlife and their livestock.
A Month of My Life
Lobulu is a ranger in Randilen; this is just a short story of what a ranger does for most of his time while on duty. One can think that rangers spend all day on patrol, but there are a number of different needs, pressures, choices that they need to make.
Makame Wildlife Management Area
Honeyguide started to work in Makame in 2017. Makame is the largest community-owned conservation area in Tanzania and will become financially sustainable due to its partners, Carbon Tanzania who is a social business and will pay the WMA to conservative their habitat through carbon trading.
Kayaks in Enduimet!
Bring in the kayaks! Honeyguide together with the member of the parliament of Longido Hon. Dr Steven Kiruswa and Longido District officials help stranded maasai communities. Kayaks help rescue the sick and transport food to 600 maasai who have been stranded on an island in the middle of the semi-desert landscape of Enduimet due to heavy rains in Kilimanjaro, Mt. Meru and Amboseli.
Elephant mother anc calf rescued
A routine aerial patrol by Honegguide Executive Director, Damian ends up saving an elephant mother and her calf. An elephant mother and her calf are trapped in a waterhole in Randilen community Wildlife Management Area. An aerial patrol spotted these elephants in distress and called for the community game rangers to help; after 9 hours of hard work, the elephants were rescued.
Randilen Rangers
Beatrice is devoted to protecting wildlife in Randilen. Rangers must always be prepared not only for wild animals but also for armed animal poachers based within the WMA. A short look into a ranger in Randilen who is also a mother and how she cares for wildlife and also for her child.
Home Alone
Hone alone is a reflection of the partners of these wildlife rangers, how the rangers’ families are often alone. The film looks at two families, Moses who is a ranger in Randilen and reflects on his life away from home during the holiday periods when most families are together and the second tale is of Mrs Kephas who lost her husband finally to cancer; and a reflection of his time when he often was away from home.
Randilen ‘trailer’
Honeyguide believes in the power of film to communicate to communities; film has the ability to reach all members of the community, kids, grandparents; just about everyone. Our awareness program uses film to enable the Wildlife Management Areas to communicate with their communities, their goals, successes, and challenges. This film is a ‘trailer’ of the awareness film that has been produced for the Randilen communities.
The First to Help
First aid training for the ranger provided by Sentinel Outdoors Institute is the most important training that a ranger can do, they can help their colleagues, their family, and community.
Dog Detectives
Honeyguide K9 unit is critical in northern Tanzania and has played a huge role in reducing poaching of elephant to zero in all the areas where the dogs are stationed.