On Thursday, as the World Wildlife Day was celebrated, ‘Gonarezhou: The movie’, a Zimbabwean anti-poaching film was premiered in Rwanda at Canal Olympia, Rebero.

The movie which depicts wildlife conservation and raises awareness of the dangers of poaching, was directed by Sydney Taivavashe, and produced by Tariro Washe.

The film was motivated by 300 elephants that were killed in Zimbabwe’s nature reserve by poachers.

When asked why of all countries they chose to screen the movie in Rwanda, Washe, who is one of the actors, stressed that it was a very simple decision because Rwanda is focused on telling the African narrative on prompting African identity, and a champion in propelling African dignity.

 "Premiering the movie in Rwanda was perfect because the country is starting to invest more in films, and we are looking forward to having collaborations between Zimbabwe and Rwanda for film making. We have a lot that we can learn from each other,” she said.

She is anticipating using diverse platforms to continue pushing the movie to get a global audience.

In brief, the film stars the main character, Zulu, whose real name is Eddie Sandifolo, who struggles to raise money to save his sick mother’s life, unfortunately, she dies and he is left with no option but to join the poaching gang for survival.

Although he is hesitant to join the poaching group, as he is aware of the repercussions, it is the only way he thinks he can earn easy money, considering he can’t get a job as he is uneducated.

But in the end, most of his colleagues die and he is imprisoned for his deeds.  

In an interview with Sandifolo, he highlighted that the film aims to send a reminder to people about the dangers of poaching.

He believes that movies are one of the many ways to spread the message of wildlife conservation, and he calls upon people to train as game rangers not as poachers.

"We don’t want to deprive the beauty of wildlife for the generation to come. Some of the poachers may even be ignorant of the damage they cause, but are just pushed by unemployment and poverty,” he stated.

While addressing the audience, Clare Akamanzi, the Chief Executive Officer of Rwanda Development noted that RDB is doing its best to conserve wildlife.

She said that the movie will help in telling Rwanda’s stories because, for many decades, they were told by people outside the continent, something she emphasised has come to an end, as Rwandans can now tell their own true stories and the inspiration they have on them.

Akamanzi further said that although there are not enough platforms available for those who want to tell Rwanda’s stories, RDB is open to offer them support.

"Apart from partnering with Washe and her team, we have a deliberate strategy as a country to promote films. The new investment code has a whole chapter that looks at the physical and financial incentives, put in place to support films,” she added.

Among the benefits are; tax incentives, and financial support, for those making their films from Rwanda as the final destination. ‘We are also putting in place a cinema fund, which is intended to support people that are shooting films in Rwanda.’

Akamanzi further noted that in order for Rwanda to tell stories comprehensively, there needs to be an eco-system, and everyone has a role to play, whether it is media, tourism, or investors that put up infrastructure, or support musicians, actors, and so forth.  

Belise Kariza, the Country Director of Africa Wildlife Foundation-AWF, stressed that wildlife is also African, which is why it needs to be protected, to also ensure that the right solutions are enforced for the community as well.

She said that one of the projects that AWF is partnering with RDB, is the expansion of the Volcanoes National Park by 37.4 square kilometres to offer more space to wildlife.

Kariza added that the 10-year project has the component of improving the livelihood of the people that live near the National park.

We are carrying out a lot of studies, one of them is the resettlement action plan- showing how the community will be relocated, how the smart green villages will be built, she said.

According to Kariza, AWF and RDB are partaking in another study known as the conservation master plan, centered towards business and impact investment to be done around the Volcanoes National Park. They are supporting the community into venturing into different businesses that are beyond Agriculture, as well.