OUR GORONGOSA
DIRECTOR James Byrne
SCREENWRITER James Byrne, Gráinne Keegan, Jared Lipworth, and Carla Rebai
PRODUCER James Byrne, Gráinne Keegan Keegan and Carla Rebai
RUNTIME 60 minutes
COUNTRY Mozambique
NOTE Documentary, Nature, Education, Current Events
Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique is one of Africa’s most celebrated wildlife restoration stories. Their large mammal population has increased tenfold in recent years, making them home to over 100,000 animals.
This documentary, framed around the Nelson Mandela quote “It is important for conservation and rural development to be combined. Conservationists must take into account the needs of people around the reserves,” explores not only the ecological & conservationist aims of the park, but their efforts to intertwine themselves with surrounding communities, where they participate not only in programs reducing human/elephant conflict, but also in girls education initiatives, health clinics, nutrition training for expecting mothers, and community clubs.
In collaboration with the 200,000 people neighboring the park, Gorongosa seeks to re-imagine the communal purpose of national parks and model a new identity for these vital institutions.