Country

Cameroon

Region

Western Africa

Language

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  IMPACT

  The video has had amazing impacts already. Plan Cameroon have agreed to fund a year of PV work focussing on children's rights; an adaptation plan is under way to build fish ponds and home gardens and to keep bees, and this video was watched by thousands in May '09 via the front page of the UNDP website! In December 2009 three Baka community representatives travelled to Copenhagen to screen their film at the UN climate talks where they also built valuable networks with other forest peoples and allies. Their 2010 action plan includes work on children's rights and education and the team has made their their wish come true and established a community video hub, called 'Okani'.

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  ACT
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• Description

  Forest dwellers feel the heat as traditional seasons fail. Fruits are rotting on the trees due to the excessive heat. Even the forest floor is drying up. ‘Facing Changes in African Forests’ was created by members of the Baka community in eastern Cameroon during a Participatory Video training in April 2009.

  Just 3 days of training & the local Baka team of women & men, youth & elders split into groups and developed various storyboards to depict important issues concerning their basic human rights.  Climate change is a totally new label to most villagers, but seasonal changes were identified as a vital issue affecting the livelihoods and cultural heritage of the Baka forest dwellers.  The women took the cameras to the forest spring to demonstrate their fishing techniques whilst the men went deep in the forest to harvest wild honey.  On the way medicinal trees were identified and illegal deforestation documented.

  ‘Facing Changes in African Forests’ was made by the Cameroon Hub (located in Mayos Village, near Bertoua) as part of the Conversations with the Earth (CWE) project.

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