Tanzania
Food - Agriculture

Kokota: The Islet of Hope

Community Forests Pemba - Spark lots of fruitful discussion, especially regarding grassroots initiatives undertaken by vulnerable rural communities in Pemba, in their approach to our changing climate.

An initiative of Community Forests Pemba

Overview of the project

Kokota: The Islet of Hope, is a short film which highlights climate change adaptation strategies developed by some of the world’s most vulnerable island communities. This film was financed by the European Union, and has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the prestigious Eric Moe Award for Best Short on Sustainability and Best Canadian Short Film at Toronto’s Planet in Focus Film Festival. The film also recently debuted on National Geographic’s Short Film Showcase, and has subtitles in multiple languages, including Swahili.

Objective

Spark lots of fruitful discussion, especially regarding grassroots initiatives undertaken by vulnerable rural communities in Pemba, in their approach to our changing climate.

Level of progress

Networking, internationalisation

Project timeline

5/1/2015

Quantitative results

Nominations and Wins:
– NOMINATION – 2017, Best Climate Change Adaptation & Mitigation Short Doc, CMS Vatavaran, New Dehli India (Winner announced in November of 2017)
– WINNER – 2017 Emerson’s Zanzibar Foundation Film Award, Zanzibar International Film Festival
– WINNER – 2017, Eric Moe Award for Best Short on Sustainability, Kokota: The Islet of Hope, DC Environmental Film Festival
– WINNER – 2016, Best Canadian Short Film, Kokota: The Islet of Hope, Planet in Focus Film Festival, Toronto, ON
– WINNER – 2016, Best Cinematography, Kokota: The Islet of Hope, Atlantic Film Festival, Halifax NS

Screenings:
– Atlantic Film Festival, Halifax, NS, September 20, 2016
– I Imagine Film Festival, New York, October 1, 2016
– Kuala Lumpur Eco Festival, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, October 14, 2016
– Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, Arkansas, October 15, 2016
– Planet in Focus, Toronto, Ontario, October 23, 2016
– Silver Wave Film Festival, Fredericton, New Brunswick, November 6 th , 2016
– Tasmania Eco Film Festival, Hobart, Australia, November 17
– Tideland Doc Fest, Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada, February 8 th , 2017
– Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival, Vancouver, British Columbia, Feb 11th, 2017
– Tideland Doc Fest, Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, February 14 th , 2017
– Frozen River Film Festival, Winona, Minnesota, February 15th , 2017
-Tideland Doc Fest, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, February 15th , 2017
– Tideland Doc Fest, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, February 16 th , 2017
– DC Environmental Film Festival, Washington DC, March 20 th , 2017
– Cross Canada Campus Tour, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario March 9 th , 2017
– Cross Canada Campus Tour, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, British Columbia, March 20 th , 2017
– South African Eco Film Festival, Cape Town, South Africa, March 23rd, 2017
– Cross Canada Campus Tour, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, April 10 th , 2017
– Kent State’s, Who’s Your Moma? Earth Day Environmental Film Festival, Kent, Ohio, April 13th , 2017
– Howard University, Earth Day Screening, Washington DC, April 22 nd , 2017
– NorthWest Fest, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, May 7 th , 2017
– FICA – Festival Internacional De Cinema E Video Ambiental, Goiás, Goiás, Brazil, June 20, 2017
– American Conservation Film Festival, Shepherdstown, West Virginia, October 13 th , 2017
– Greenpeace Film Festival, France Online Festival (www.greenpeacefilmfestival.org), Oct 15th , 2017
– View Finders: Atlantic Film Festival for Youth, Halifax, Nova Scotia: October 18 & 19
– View Finders: Atlantic Film Festival for Youth, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island: October 24
– View Finders: Atlantic Film Festival for Youth, St. John, New Brunswick: October 26
– View Finders: Atlantic Film Festival for Youth, Sydney, Nova Scotia: November 2
– CMS Vatavaran, New Delhi, India, November 2nd , 2017
– View Finders: Atlantic Film Festival for Youth, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia: November 7

*Kokota: The Islet of Hope has also been broadcast nationally multiple times in Tanzania on ITV, Capital TV, ZBC TV, AZAM TV and Channel 10 TV.

Qualitative results

People are now more aware of the impacts of climate change, especially to islands and small rural communities.

Financing

Funded by the Intra ACP GCCA+ program and Community Forests International

About the
organisation

Community Forests Pemba

website
Mbarouk Moussa Omar
Executive director
mbarouk@forestsinternational.org
1-506-536-3738

Since 2008, Community Forests International (Forests Intl.) has worked alongside vulnerable communities in Tanzania, to capitalise on local strengths, assets, and opportunities for green growth. CFI’s projects have focused on reforesting degraded landscapes, promoting and building sustainable farming and forestry enterprises, developing renewable energy systems, researching and implementing green building methods, and undertaking carbon storage through improved forestry practices.

In 2009, the organisation supported the creation of an independent Tanzanian sister NGO: Community Forests Pemba, which operates autonomously but alongside Community Forests International, for a shared mission of creating climate-smart economic prosperity on Pemba Island, and in the wider Zanzibar region. Together, both entities are collectively referred to as Forests International (Forests Intl.). Joint operations in Zanzibar include constructing solar-powered rainwater harvesting systems; continued reforestation; secure land rights for Pemban communities; training and support to grow permaculture spice forests; and Mangrove restoration for the protection of coastal communities.

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