TonyWild Founder Feted at Benjamin Mkapa Photography Awards 2022

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.