By ‘Seyifunmi Adebote:
Following the announcement of the winners of the World Wildlife Day Film Showcase: Living Oceans, during a United Nations high-level event on Friday, March 1, 2019 at the UN Headquarters in New York; Nigeria is leading other countries to host the screening of some selected films.
This is a part of activities organized by the Wildlife of Africa Conservation Initiative to commemorate World Wildlife Day 2019 in Nigeria and ultimately to promote Wildlife Conservation among Nigerians. In Abuja, the Canada High Commission will be hosting the movie screening/stakeholders’ engagement on Monday, March 3, 2019, while the U.S Consulate will be hosting a similar event in Lagos on Tuesday, March 4, 2019 at the U.S Consulate Multi-Purpose Hall, VI, Lagos.
In his opinion, the organization’s Director of Advocacy, ‘Seyifunmi Adebote said, “In recent times, we have turned deaf ears to a loud alarm continuously ringing, we have closed our eyes to nature’s unchecked exploitation. At Wildlife of Africa Conservation Initiative, World Wildlife Day is one of our annual highlights; this year, with the support of the U.S Consulate in Lagos and the Canada High Commission in Abuja, as well as, with the approval of the Jackson Hole Film Festival and the Wildlife Conservation Film Festival, USA we are exploring films as a unique medium to advocate for and educate people about the over 200,000 lives below water and how marine species are intrinsic to our existence as human beings.”
Felix Abayomi, the founder/CEO of Wildlife of Africa Conservation Initiative stressed that “we must conserve our resources and teach others to do same; it is not about us, it is about the generation unborn.” The World Wildlife Day Film Showcase is a key part of worldwide public engagement efforts to empower action and inspire a sense of personal responsibility/stewardship for marine species conservation and in creating an equitable and sustainable future. Six winners from six categories were on Friday, March 1, 2019, announced in New York by the Jackson Hole WILD in partnership with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES). Jackson Hole WILD’s Executive Director Lisa Samford said: “It is not enough to just care about nature. Our aim is to inspire action necessary to restore and protect the planet’s essential resources. These films do precisely that.”
