Canon Central and North Africa has joined forces with Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to support KWS in the conservation of wildlife across the country.
The partnership kicked off on November 20, 2020 with the ‘Twendeni Porini Na Canon’ campaign which ran until December 31, 2020 and raised funds towards wildlife conservation.
Speaking during the award ceremony, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) Director General Brigadier (Rtd) John Waweru said, they were grateful to Canon for this partnership that has seen us raise awareness on the importance of wildlife conservation as an ongoing effort.
“KWS has a mandate to protect and preserve wildlife, but it is the collective effort of our communities that makes us successful in this calling. We have benefited greatly from the authentic stories that Canon has told about our parks, wildlife and rangers. We are extremely grateful for the renewed interest in wildlife conservation thanks to the extended boost on digital space, which successfully raised the profile of Kenya as a leader in wildlife conservation,” he said.
Amine Djouahra, Sales and Marketing Director at Canon Central and North Africa added that Canon believes in using the power of pictures and videos to tell successful stories, raise awareness and gain support for various conservation projects.
“As a global leader in manufacture of cameras and audio-visual equipment we understand the power of visual storytelling to create an impact in our communities. This campaign underscored how important collaboration is in helping to build awareness of issues such as conservation is to the continent, and how we can ensure that future generations enjoy and appreciate this rich, colourful, breathtaking and unique continent with all its wildlife and wildlands,” said Djouahra
The ‘Twendeni Porini Na Canon’ campaign was launched to reward Canon customers and highlight various national parks and conservation efforts across the country through visual storytelling.
Canon customers who purchased Canon products during the campaign period received various rewards with three customers walking away with the grand prize of a holiday for two at Tsavo, Aberdare and Amboseli National Parks.
The ‘Twendeni Porini Na Canon’ campaign also enlisted five local wildlife photography influencers to create authentic social media stories about conservation efforts across Kenya which were published on the influencers Instagram pages.
The influencers – Anthony Ochieng, Clement Kiragu, Larry Asego, Usha Harish and Alissa Thakker – were accommodated at notable National Parks across the country. Each one produced compelling visual imagery and engaging content that stimulated engagement on social media – proving that captivating photography and videography play an essential role in creating change and driving awareness.
“This campaign underscored how partnerships and collaboration help build awareness of just how important conservation is to the continent, and how we can ensure that future generations enjoy and appreciate this rich, colourful, breath-taking and unique continent with all its wildlife and wild lands,” adds Djouahra.
The influencers’ riveting stories can be viewed on the influencers’ Instagram pages, as follows:
Clement Kiragu is a Canon ambassador and award-winning wildlife and commercial photographer whose incredible series of nature images were enhanced by a new love he developed while staying at Amboseli National Park: that of capturing birds in flight. www.Instagram.com/clement.wild/
Anthony Ochieng is a conservation photographer who produced a short film, Rhino Lover & Hero (https://bit.ly/36xyZxa), featuring an insightful interview with a Rhino Sanctuary ranger Kosgeyi, to highlight the work done at the sanctuary. www.Instagram.com/tonywild_ke/
Usha Harish proved her adeptness at capturing emotions of animals and in action: www.Instagram.com/usha.harish.photography/
Larry Asego took his assignment further, by hosting an interactive wildlife photography training session, streaming his experience and answering questions from amateur photographers. www.Instagram.com/larryasego/
Alissa Thakker combined photography and videography to document her journey at Nairobi National Park, while highlighting the features on her Canon R5 that made capturing these magnificent creatures. www.Instagram.com/alissatphotos/
“More than just rewarding Canon customers and raising awareness of our prized national parks, this initiative proved Canon’s support of local conservation efforts in building the awareness together with Kenya’s wildlife conservation team with an emphasis on interactions between influencers and community awareness,” added Amine Djouahra,
Following the success of the ‘Twendeni Porini Na Canon’ campaign, Canon has embarked on several initiatives – such as the Miraisha Programme and our Ambassadors Programme -to advance and promote job opportunities and future livelihoods in Africa by sharing skill sets and knowledge for photographers, videographers and filmmakers.
