A Kenyan wildlife photographer asks who gets to tell the story of her country's animals, and why local knowledge so often goes missing from the picture.
Who tells Africa's wildlife stories
Imara Njeri is a wildlife photographer from Kenya, and her story is a personal argument about authorship. She notes that animals such as the lion, elephant and rhinoceros had names in Kenyan languages long before scientific classification, and that for her they are not exotic discoveries but home.
She describes growing up in a mixed household and British schools, sometimes feeling like a visitor in her own country, and finding belonging in the bush. She talks about the surprise she meets as a woman carrying a large lens, who is often taken for staff, and about turning to photography as a way to earn a living during the COVID-19 pandemic, when her family was struggling.
Her central point is that wildlife films have long left out the relationship local people have with animals, including knowledge passed down in families about elephants, birds and the rains. She photographs to reclaim that narrative, and hopes young Kenyan girls will see that they can document and protect their wildlife too.
_This story was written by Imara Njeri for Untold Wildlife, our partner in bringing overlooked conservation stories to more people._