Wildlife movie nights prove a great success around Kidepo Game Reserve, South Sudan

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Community interest in wildlife conservation was noticeably boosted during a participatory mapping exercise with communities around Kidepo Game Reserve in South Sudan when the project implementing organisation Enjojo Foundation organised wildlife movie nights to complement the field-based community engagement. 

For the mapping, teams travel between communities, camping locally and walking up to 100 km per boma (village clusters) to document key landscape features while working closely with Peace and Conservation Committees and other community members. 

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When weather and power permit, they screen wildlife documentaries in school grounds or public gathering spaces. Local scouts facilitate the sessions by introducing the films, encouraging discussion, and sharing local conservation perspectives. 

The team also produce Kidepo Kids songs, which reinforce positive messages about wildlife and environmental stewardship. By combining participatory mapping with accessible, entertaining outreach, this approach has expanded community participation, particularly among women, children and young people, while strengthening awareness of conservation and building trust and dialogue between communities and the project.

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Some 4,500 people attended the 18 film screenings organised in 13 bomas in Bira, Losite and Lotukei payams (administrative divisions), with strong participation from women and children.

Santino Lokonyen Ochieng from Itingi Boma in Lotukei Payam, Deputy Head at the Itingi Primary School, interviewed by Ikwoto Head Scout, said: "The pupils and young people are here to watch these films and see animals they have never seen before – lions, elephants, rhinos, zebras and giraffes. For some, it is even the first time they have heard the names of these animals. This is a wonderful initiative, and it should continue so that everyone can learn about the wildlife that was once our neighbour here in Kidepo.”

In other positive results from the outreach: 

• Participatory mapping has strengthened engagement between Enjojo Foundation, Peace and Conservation Committees, community members and local scouts across Bira, Losite and Lotukei payams, creating a platform for dialogue around community priorities, land use and conservation. 
• Wildlife film screenings complemented the mapping process by providing an additional, informal and inclusive avenue for conservation outreach, particularly reaching children who may not participate in formal community meetings. 
• Local scouts have taken an active role in conservation communication by facilitating screenings, commenting on wildlife content and sharing positive messages about Kidepo Game Reserve, strengthening their role as community-based conservation ambassadors. 
• The combination of participatory mapping and public wildlife screenings has created a more positive and diverse model of community engagement, bringing conservation messaging into shared community spaces and generating strong local appreciation. 
• The initiative has created synergies between community engagement, environmental education and locally produced conservation content, including Kidepo Kids songs.

According to one participant, Lokoro Mario from Lorema Boma in Lotukei Payam, interviewed by Ikwoto Head Scout: “It is the first time that people in Lorema have had the opportunity to watch films. We come all the way from the top of mountains to enjoy this peaceful moment together in the centre of the boma, and for once our minds are on Africa's wildlife and nature rather than on alcohol.”

According to Ikwoto Head Scout: "This initiative has been so well received. If only we could take it to every payam around Kidepo. Perhaps the scouts could share a set of screens and projectors so that these films reach all the communities Enjojo works with. People especially enjoy watching baboons and hyenas because they are so entertaining, and they are always excited by lions hunting their prey. Every screening is a joyful occasion."