NAIROBI, 28 October 2022: TonyWild is thrilled to announce that our founder and director, Anthony Ochieng Onyango’s image was recognised at the second annual Benjamin Mkapa Photography Awards 2022. This award will support TonyWild in empowering young conservation leaders in Kenya through photography and film.
Anthony’s stunning image of a baby elephant with ranger and caregiver, Mary Langees, at the Reteti Elephant Sanctuary in Samburu, Kenya was revealed as the winner in the African Conservation Heroes category at the exhibition’s grand opening on 27 October at the Nairobi National Museum in Kenya.
In a statement, Anthony Ochieng Onyango said, “photography can have a positive effect on conservation by broadening the way people think about wildlife. These images have a great impact on making people connect with nature through their hearts. When we showcase such images to children, a lot of questions and realisations arise; ‘How close was the ranger to the elephant?’, ‘Why do elephants have hairs on their trunks?, ‘How many elephants are in the picture?’ ‘I want to go see elephants.’ and ‘I want to take care of elephants’. For many children in Africa, this is an image they can relate to and it empowers them to want to protect wildlife.”
The Benjamin Mkapa African Wildlife Photography Award by the African Wildlife Foundation and Nature’s Best Photography engages and involves photographers from Africa and around the world at all proficiency levels to share stories from the field that inspire and encourage new advocates for conservation. In 2021, at the inaugural Mkapa Awards, Anthony Ochieng Onyango received honourable mentions in Africa in Motion Videos and African Conservation Heroes categories. As a conservation photographer and filmmaker, Anthony seeks to share stories that will empower the youth to take conservation action.
TonyWild is enabling environmental education in schools through photography and film. Students are trained in basic photography by taking photos of birds, insects and other wildlife within their school compound. This allows them to understand the importance of conservation through photography to not only themselves but the society. They also empower others by sharing the photographs they have taken with their peers, friends and family.
Notes for editors:
For more information or interviews please contact Anniey Mwangi at admin@tonywild.co.ke.
Mkapa Awards Press materials available:
About TonyWild Foundation:
TonyWild is an African youth-led conservation organization whose focus is to promote conservation action by creating awareness of wildlife through photography, film, and science. We envision a generation that will influence sustainable natural resource management. We work towards this by educating and showcasing the beauty and importance of nature and wildlife.
Learn more about TonyWild here https://www.tonywild.co.ke/
About Buni Media:
Buni Media is a multimedia organization involved in the development, production, and distribution of video, audio, animation, digital, and print publication content; in the organization and curation of events; and training and capacity building.
Learn more about Buni Media here https://www.bunimedia.com/
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