GAFI Africa

• Cameroon • Congo Brazzaville • Cote D’Ivoire • DRC • Ghana
• Gabon • Nigeria • Sierra Leone • Tanzania • Rwanda • Uganda

Congo & Cameroon:

Congo Brazzaville and Cameroon were the first recipients of GAFI films. With the help of GRASP (Great Ape Survival Project) and financial support from Born Free Foundation and Nutshell Productions the legal and logistical difficulties were finally overcome. GAFI was received with much enthusiasm and encouraging results which led to the expansion of the GAFI countries in Africa.

Results:
• GAFI sent the films to a) Ministers for the Environment at the Seven Nations Heads of State Summit in February 2005. The Ministers for Congo and Cameroon were enthralled to receive them, they personally signed the contract for broadcasting the films on national television. This co-incided with the Summit and much local publicity was generated by the license to air donation. b) National TV stations in Congo and Cameroon received the films for airing 4 times per year for 5 years. c) Limbe wildlife centre in Cameroon received DVD’s for their education and bushmeat outreach work. To date over a hundred school children and community members have seen the films.
• Inspired by the initial success for GAFI, Defra and WSPA donated some funding to keep the project going for 6 months. This money allowed a co-ordinator to work part time and gave sufficient funding for copies to 5 more ape range state countries to be able to receive GAFI films.
• All screenings are being monitored for effectiveness. NGOs are taking part in the monitoring of the screenings in the ape range state countries but Bristol University and Imperial College London are joining forces with GAFI to review the potential for supporting a PhD student to establish a global criteria for assessing the effectiveness of screenings to various groups and communities. This will help everyone around the world to create\distribute films with maximum effectiveness.

His Exellency, Mr Hilman EGBE ACHUO Minister for Forestry and Wildlife
signs the contract for the free transmission of GAFI films in Cameroon.

Gabon

With the help and advice of Wildlife Conservation Society Gabon, GAFI has been able to support the conservation projects of a number of Non Government Organisations. Financial support has been kindly given by Defra, the Department for Food and Rural Affairs in UK.

• GAFI has given films to Radio et Television Gabonais for transmission 3 times for a year. Additional broadcast period may be granted upon request to BBC.
• Wildlife Conservation Society, World Wildlife Fund and Conseil National des Parcs Nationaux are the three NGOs who will carry the GAFI films into the local communities, schools and educational centres.
• All three NGOs will monitor and report the effectiveness or otherwise, of the screening programme and hopefully make suggestions to maximise its impact for the future.
• Mikongo rangers have also received GAFI films to help with their conservation education and training
• WWF have also requested and received a batch of GAFI films for their education and outreach work

Tanzania

With financial support from Defra, GAFI has been able to offers its screening programme to a number of NGOs working in Tanzania.

• GAFI has sent films to Jane Goodall Institute, World Wildlife Fund, Wildlife Conservation Society and Mweka College of Wildlife Management.
• The broadcaster Zanzibar TV has been given a full set of GAFI films for transmission
• GAFI screenings will be monitored and the results used to examine the effectiveness of screening conservation films.
• An outreach student from Mweke has requested and received GAFI films to take back to his village for educational purposes.

Uganda

Defra came to the financial assistance of GAFI once again, and the Wildlife Conservation Society kindly took the lead in distributing GAFI films for screenings in Uganda.

• Jillian Miller at the Gorilla Organization (formally known as Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund Europe) has accepted GAFI films for their education and outreach projects. The The Gorilla Organization team will report back giving the results of a questionnaire to be distributed among the audiences.
• WCS are happy to use GAFI films to support their conservation work and will report back to GAFI all results
• Jane Goodall Institute has accepted GAFI library for their outreach and educational projects
• International Gorilla Conservation Programme have been offered GAFI films and GAFI is presently awaiting verdicts.
• Ugandan Television have been given GAFI films for transmission.
• Kibale Community Fuel project has requested and been given a set of GAFI films for their education programme especially supporting the chimpanzee education awareness project.

Nigeria

Defra and WCS have been key to getting the GAFI screenings underway in Nigeria.

• Andy Dunn at WCS is taking the GAFI films into their conservation education projects. Monitoring and reporting will take place as part of the projects.
• Pandrillus and Nigerian Conservation Foundation have been contacted and GAFI films offered. We are waiting for replies at present.
• Cross River State Television have aired the films on television and have requested an extension of the license period in order to transmit the films more often. This has been negotiated with the BBC and granted.

DRC

Defra funding allowed GAFI to support both the Gorilla Organization (formally known as Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund Europe) and WWF in DRC.

• The Gorilla Organization has used GAFI films in schools and education and awareness projects.
• WWF have used GAFI for conservation programmes in communities and schools in DRC.

Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone has been supported by donations from individuals, Paul Mahoney and Mrs Kirk both in UK.

• GAFI films were given to WWF for their conservation and outreach work

Ghana

Defra funding allowed GAFI to donate sets of films to Ghana for use with NGOs.

• WWF received a set of GAFI films to help their awareness programmes.

Cote D’Ivoire

The Ivory Coast has also been supported by Defra funding.

• The conservation projects co-ordinated by WWF received a set of GAFI films

Rwanda

Without Defra it would not have been possible to provide NGOs in Rwanda with GAFI films for their conservation work.

• GAFI was able to send a set of films to WWF for their education\awareness projects.

The following countries have all lost their great apes, they are now extinct: Gambia, Burkino Faso, Togo, Benin, Zambia.

There are 10 more countries who have surviving populations of great apes in Africa and can be supported by GAFI films: Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Senegal, Guinea Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Angola, CAR, Sudan and Burundi.