Laikipia, Kenya, is a wildlife conservation haven. It’s also a place fraught with unresolved historical injustices, violence, and conflict. The majority of the disagreements occur between the indigenous pastoralists who want space for their malnourished cows to graze and the white landowners who want to protect their private ranches.
It’s a tense, difficult, and extremely sad situation for both the people and the animals, and co-directors Daphne Matziaraki and Pete Murimi craft their documentary “The Battle for Laikipia” with a knowing compassion and sincere empathy. This is a brutal, tough subject with weighty themes of colonialism, conservation, and climate change, and the film does an excellent job showing both sides of an unfortunate situation.
Even after Kenya’s independence in 1963, Colonial era inequities continue to endure. The divide is growing between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots,’ and both sides show no fear nor shame in resorting to violence. The government doesn’t help much in calming the disagreements, which continues to escalate the issue.
The absolutely horrifying severe drought faced by the locals is heartbreaking, especially because cows are such an integral part o the African culture. There isn’t enough water to provide proper foliage for the animals to graze, which leads villagers to sneak their herds onto the private land of ranch owners. It’s an act of desperation to keep their cows alive, but it’s also one that amounts to stealing. Sometimes, the animals wind up dead as ranchers (with the help of the government, as the pastoralists claim) shoot and kill the herds in retaliation.
The documentary is fairly well-balanced and the filmmakers proficient at showing both sides of the issue. Highly educational with a tendency to be a little dry at times, “The Battle for Laikipia” is interesting but also frustrating because very few viable suggestions for fixing the situation are offered.
By: Louisa Moore
Screen Zealots 