31: Rumbi Katedza & Moreangels Mbizah on Zimbabwe's Landscapes

IN HER LENS

Rumbi Katedza (she/her) is a filmmaker and writer living in Zimbabwe. She produces corporate and independent narrative and documentary content through her production company, Mai Jai Films. A company focused on pioneering a new generation of Zimbabwean films & filmmakers through creative co-productions. Mai Jai Films runs Postcards from Zimbabwe, a children’s audio-visual and life-skills training project, & ZimbabweFilm.com, a comprehensive Zimbabwean film promotion website. One of her latest films Transactions, tells a story of Zimbabwean migration through a family divided by the circumstances of a failed economy; separated across the world the family meets online to decide who needs the most financial support back home.

Dr Moreangels Mbizah is a conservation biologist working at the intersection of conservation and community development in Zimbabwe. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Wildlife Conservation Action: an organization focusing on building the capacity of local communities to protect and coexist with wildlife while improving livelihoods. She received her Doctoral Degree from Oxford, is a TED Fellow/Speaker & Mandela Washington Fellow. In 2019, Moreangels gave the TED talk, “How community-led conservation can save wildlife.” Her study also followed the famous Cecil the lion- until he was shot by a trophy hunter in 2015. In the TED talk, Moreangels wonders how things could've gone differently by asking: "What if the community that lived next to Cecil was involved in protecting him?

In this episode, host Nadine talks to the two pioneers about how they met and the film that Rumbi is developing about Moreangels. Moreangels shares the realities of conservation in Zimbabwe and Rumbi opens up about it’s film industry. Moreangels highlights the developments they've made like mobile boma's, and the walls they run into in their conservation efforts whilst Rumbi reminds us of Moreangels rare, inspiring story. They discuss the importance of funding, impact producing goals with the coming work, and the critically important right to tell one's own story.

This episode refers to the following works: “One Woman’s Remarkable Journey to Protect Lions," "Transactions," Mbizah' TED TALK, Wildlife Conservation Action & their training programs, Mbizah' published studies, Katedza previous & upcoming films.

Rumbi Katedza (she/her) is a filmmaker, producer, and writer living in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Moreangels Mbizah (she/her) is a conservation biologist living in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Nadine Reumer (she/her) is an actress and producer based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

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