AFRICAS WILDEST STORIES stories about nature and wildlife told by those who experienced them

A Collaboration between WildlifeDirect and the National Museums of Kenya

Everyone has a story to tell

The aim of Africas Wildest Stories is to create

The Worlds largest online living audio oral history of Africas wildlife stories

What is Africas Wildest Stories?

We set out to record the audio and video stories of those elders who are willing to tell them so that their real life stories can be retold the way they were originally told to current and future unborn generations. The stories are currently available to anyone anywhere via the Internet. Stories will also be shared on radio, television, publications and field based listening stations in the future.

Africas Wildest Stories is a digital archive of stories about nature and wildlife told by those who experienced them and willing to share them with anyone anywhere. The project was conceived in the Landmark Education Self Expression and Leadership Program

Why story telling for Wildlife?

The idea of Africas Wildest Stories came out of a conversation with a Maasai junior elder when he raised concerns that the wisdom, knowledge and traditions of his people were dying with the loss of the oldest age set, men and women of over 90 years.

Lions have always killed livestock but my people are losing their ability to tolerate the losses. Now lions are being killed and Kenyas lions are on the brink of extinction. Nickson Parmisa He warned that this loss of traditional knowledge is already contributing to the challenges that we face in the management of natural resources such as wildlife, water, climate change, forest loss and habitat destruction. This is leading to intolerance of wildlife and the killing of lions, a species that is already critically endangered in Kenya with fewer than 2,000 remaining

Lessons from the past will help us to change the narrative that we teach our children

Celebrating traditional wisdom through stories

Who is involved?
Africas Wildest Stories is a collaboration between the National Museums of Kenya, Childrens book publishing house Story Moja and WildlifeDirect, a blogging platform for African wildlife conservationists. These stories will soon be accessible to anyone at listening stations at the National Museums of Kenya in Nairobi and selected field museums, through listening and viewing stations and exhibitions. .

Extraordinary stories told by those who experienced them

How it works

The idea is that young people interview elders in their families or communities about the stories of their lives. Many of the stories are being told by a generation of elders who were born before independence into very different conditions of environment, society, culture and education. Now younger generations of Africans being raised in cities or even overseas can hear entertaining stories and fall in love with Africas spectacular wildlife heritage. This project makes connections between our extraordinary cultural and biological diversity and recognizes that this is a vital part of Africas heritage.

If we fail to record our history from those alive today, we will lose important lessons from the past, and we may never value what is left, or even know what we have lost. Nickson Parmisa.

What we aim to accomplish

Africas Wildest Stories honors our elders and creates new awareness of the wisdom of the past, and the contribution that this will make towards informing decisions that affect our future sustainability. The project creates relatedness where it didnt exist in our minds before, for example between culture and nature, or the elders and the future of conservation and the Kenyan economy.

When an elder passes on, knowledge is lost forever. There is no way of recovering information from our departed older generations.

Recordings can be done anywhere using video cameras, ipod, ipad, audio recorders or mobile phones

What we have achieved

Our pilot project focuses on Kenya. We have recorded over 20 individuals, both men and women of various ages, in several Kenyan locations including Nairobi, Kajiado, Mbirikani, Amboseli, Nanyuki, Mpala, Samburu, Ol Pejeta, Naivasha and Baringo.

The stories represent numerous tribes including Maasai, Kamba, Samburu, Tugen, Kalenjin, Nandi, Turkana, Kikuyu, Elgon, Watha, and naturalists, game hunters, Tour operators, farmers and housewives. Stories are uploaded onto Africas Wildest Stories on prx.org, wildlifedirect.org and many are also in video format on our YouTube Channel. Anyone anywhere can access Africas Wildest Stories

Celebrating Africas top conservationists and inspiring current and future generations

Not all stories are old!

Self-taught maker, who is now 13, rigged up a system of flashing LED torches around his familys stockade, drawing electricity from the solar panel and battery circuit that powered their TV. Since installing the system, they have suffered zero lion attacks, unlike 5 of their neighbors. Richard was recently awarded a scholarship to the Brookhouse School in Nairobi, where he plans to study engineering.

Some of Africas best stories are very young Richard is only 13

The Team
Paula Kahumbu WildlifeDirect Mercy Gakii National Museums of Kenya Elleni Stephanou - volunteer Tom Parker designer of logo and banner Stefano Cassini film maker Benedict Ogola - Digital Dialect, Akshay Vishwanath social media Aernout Zevenbergen storyteller/editor

We are indebted to many people who have generously shared their stories, and those who have assisted with translations.

Africas Wildest Stories on Public Radio Exchange

Africas Wildest Stories on youtube

Africas Wildest Stories online

You can find out more about the project on http://africaswildeststories.Wildlif eDirect.org You can listen to Africas Wildest Stories here http://www.prx.org/series/32611africa-s-wildest-stories Watch the videos herehttp://www.youtube.com/use r/africawildeststories?feature=wat ch Follow us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/grou ps/361863617220836/ And Twitter @AWildestStories

Where we are heading next

Africas Wildest Stories will be officially launched at the Story Moja Hay Festival in Nairobi September 2012. The public will have a rare opportunity to witness live story telling by our local storytellers. We plan to build exhibit at the Nairobi Museum, which will allow visitors to listen to stories and contribute. This will be followed by a traveling exhibit to reach rural museums throughout Kenya. We will also choose 50 outstanding stories to be aired on national radio and TV as part of our contribution to Kenyas celebration of 50 years of independence. Future plans include setting up listening and recording stations around the country.

By early 2013 we make available a Record-YourOwn-Story toolkit to enable anyone anywhere to participate and the model will be replicated across Africa.

Africas Wildest Stories Partners

The National Museums of Kenya (NMK) is a state corporation established by an Act of Parliament, the National Museums and Heritage Act, 2006 no. 6 of 2006.

NMK is a multi-disciplinary institution whose role is to collect, preserve, study, document and present Kenyas past and present cultural and natural heritage. This is for the purposes of enhancing knowledge, appreciation, respect and sustainable utilization of these resources for the benefit of Kenya and the world, for now and posterity.

WildlifeDirect is a Kenya and US registered charitable organization founded and chaired by African conservationist Dr Richard Leakey, who is credited with putting an end to the elephant slaughter in Kenya in the 1980s. Its main office is located in Nairobi, Kenya.

WildlifeDirect was established in 2006 to provide support to conservationists in Africa directly on the ground via the use of blogs, which enables anybody, anywhere to play a direct and interactive role in the survival of some of the worlds most precious species.

Africas Wildest Stories Partners

The Storymoja Hay Festival takes place from 16th 18th September at the National Museums of Kenya in Nairobi, Kenya. The Festival is a four day celebration of stories, ideas, writing and contemporary culture through storytelling, books, live discussion forums, workshops, debates, live performances, competitions, mchongoano and music. It is organized in collaboration with Storymoja, the Hay Festival (UK) and British Council. The Storymoja Hay festival attracts the most exciting local and international writers and thinkers. It promises both engaging and stimulating discussions as well as lighthearted entertainment.

Africas Wildest Stories Partners

Storymoja is a 3-year-old publishing venture formed by five writers who are committed to publishing contemporary East African writing of world-class standard. Our books are marketed to a wide Kenyan audience for entertainment rather than as textbook material.

We want to challenge the perception that Kenyans do not read (other than required educational text) by providing them with the contemporary stories they can identify with and which we believe they are dying to read.

What are people saying about us?

Africas Wildest Stories is only 2 months old.
Media interest is growing. In September 2012 We will be appearing on CNN, CCTV, German Radio, Urban Perspective Magazine, Komba magazine, South Sudan Radio and others. To Schedule a media interview contact Paula Kahumbu [email protected]

We are seeking sponsorship in kind or cash for the following

Recording and editing equipment Editing software Computers Website Field costs Construction of Listening stations at Museums Operational Staff Office and admin costs Publications Launch events Outreach to schools and communities Transport/travel

All donors will be listed on the websites

Major donors will be mentioned in media, on publications Invitations to events Donors and sponsors can erect banners at our launch and other public events Mentions in media interviews Logos on products

Email [email protected] and or [email protected], ,

Thank You

Contact us [email protected],