Unresolved historical injustices and a devastating drought raise the stakes in a generations-old conflict between indigenous farmers and white landowners in Laikipia, Kenya, a wildlife conservation haven.
Severe droughts have intensified the conflict over the use of Laikipia’s historically rich but declining grassland – an issue deeply embedded in the country’s colonial past. Filmmakers Daphne Matziaraki and Peter Murimi set out to understand both sides of the fight, from the pastoralist herding community struggling to feed their cattle to the white owners of the county’s private ranches who are determined to guard their territory. A complex picture emerges of a region in crisis, with the filmmakers navigating the tensions around the livelihoods of Indigenous farmers, land ownership, wildlife conservation, national politics, and the bitter legacy of British settler rule.
THE BATTLE FOR LAIKIPIA provides a poignant and unflinching examination of the increasingly contentious issues surrounding land and power in an era of profound climate change.
2024 / 88 mins / Kenya / Greece / USA
Trailer
Filmmakers - Daphne Matziaraki and Peter Murimi
+ Marinade (11 mins) Director: Leah Thorn
Poet Leah Thorn’s personal take on being white, Jewish, marinated in the racism of 1950s England, and committed to change. Combining spoken word poetry and autobiographical storytelling, animation and Super 8 footage, MARINADE delivers an honest and tender exploration of the intertwining of Second Generation identity, racism and antisemitism.
