Impact Days Catalogue
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By Daphne Matziaraki and Peter Murimi

The Battle for Laikipia

IMPACT DAYS

Kenya’s Laikipia region has been a grazing route for indigenous pastoralist communities for centuries. It is also home to white ranchers and conservationists, who settled there during the British colonial era and stayed on after Kenya’s independence in 1963. Since 2017, we have intimately filmed our characters as they confront a rapidly changing world. Laikipia has been feeling the ravaging effects of climate change for decades; the pastoralists, the ranchers and conservancies all rely on Laikipia’s grasslands to sustain their cattle and the wildlife. When drought and elections collide, conflict erupts. Our story goes beyond the headline-grabbing conflict. We explore identity, the complicated legacy of British colonialism, and their intersection with climate change – all this happening during the most fragile moment of our planet.

Section : Impact Days
Country : Kenya
Original languages : English, Swahili, Samburu
Directors
Daphne Matziaraki (Greece)
Peter Murimi (Kenya)
Producers
Toni Kamau (Kenya)
Daphne Matziaraki (Greece)
We Are Not The Machine Ltd
One Story Up
Completion
January 2024
Impact Statement
While there is extensive data on the impact of climate change in Africa, there is a critical gap in human-centered stories that reveal how climate intersects with unresolved historical injustices, indigenous rights, and conservation. Our documentary fills this gap—offering a deeply personal, visually striking narrative that brings these complex dynamics to life. We believe it can serve as a powerful tool for educational institutions training the next generation of leaders in climate adaptation, environmental justice, and inclusive conservation policy.
Our goal is to use human centered storytelling as an additional education tool for people interested in working at the intersection of indigenous rights, climate change adaptation and inclusive conservation.
Impact Goals
  1. Screen the film within NGOs and academic institutions engaged in climate change, indigenous rights, and inclusive conservation, to spark informed dialogue and influence policy discussions at both national and regional levels.
  2. Create space for open, inclusive dialogue and mediation between pastoralist communities and conservations in areas with increased tension over diminishing resources impacted by the climate crisis.
  3. Advocate for centering and including indigenous voices when developing climate change adaptation policies.
  4. Collaborate with stakeholders advocating for policy change that contributes towards resource management, pastoral grazing rights and inclusive conservation practices.
Impact Strategy
    We are pursuing a multi-tiered impact strategy that combines public engagement, education, and policy influence:
  • Public Screenings in Kenya: We organized theatrical screenings of the feature-length documentary to raise awareness about the real-life impacts of climate change on indigenous communities and frontline environmental stewards. The film resonated strongly with audiences—selling over 3,000 tickets across cinemas in Kenya.
  • Television Broadcast: In November 2024, a 52-minute version of the documentary was broadcast on NTV Kenya as part of the Doc Society’s climate film series, reaching a broad national audience and deepening public discourse on climate issues.
  • Transaction Video on demand: We are now available for screenings in various territories in Europe, including Switzerland, on Kinema, as part of Doc Society’s climate change playlist.
    • -Targeted Stakeholder Screenings: We have begun curated in-person screenings with NGOs, academic institutions, and policymakers to foster dialogue around climate adaptation, indigenous rights, and inclusive conservation. These sessions aim to inform and influence both education curricula and policy conversations.
Contact
Primary contact
Toni Kamau (Kenya): toni@wearenotthemachine.com

Funders and agencies
Berkeley Film Foundation
Bertha Foundation
Climate Story Fund
Code Blue Foundation
Doc Society – supported the Kenyan theatrical release and impact screening
Docubox
Ford Foundation
Greek Film Centre
Greek Ministry Of Culture
Justfilms
New York Times
Op Doc
Our Children’s Earth Foundation
Pulitzer Center On Crisis Reporting
Shannon O’ Leary Joy
Storyboard Collective – supporting impact screenings via Sunshine cinema
Sundance Institute
Sunshine cinema – trained screening facilitators
Threshold Foundation
Wild Lives Foundation

Funders and agencies
Berkeley Film Foundation
Bertha Foundation
Climate Story Fund
Code Blue Foundation
Doc Society – supported the Kenyan theatrical release and impact screening
Docubox
Ford Foundation
Greek Film Centre
Greek Ministry Of Culture
Justfilms
New York Times
Op Doc
Our Children’s Earth Foundation
Pulitzer Center On Crisis Reporting
Shannon O’ Leary Joy
Storyboard Collective – supporting impact screenings via Sunshine cinema
Sundance Institute
Sunshine cinema – trained screening facilitators
Threshold Foundation
Wild Lives Foundation