Latest news with #Garnett
eNCA
14-07-2025
- eNCA
The activist who fought for Sierra Leone's first World Heritage site
Activist Tommy Garnett's decades of work paid off when Sierra Leone's Tiwai island -- a lush forest home to one of the world's highest concentrations of primates -- landed a spot on the UN cultural agency's World Heritage list. The 66-year-old and the conservation group he founded are the reason Tiwai, which was nearly destroyed during Sierra Leone's 1991-2002 civil war, still exists. "I feel very happy, relieved, hopeful," the environmentalist told AFP from the verdant island, ahead of the announcement. The Gola-Tiwai complex, which also includes the nearby Gola Rainforest National Park, will be Sierra Leone's first UNESCO site. UNESCO director general Audrey Azoulay called Gola-Tiwai "a jewel of biodiversity, a sanctuary for rare species and a model of community management." The wildlife and fauna in the two areas have been imperilled for years by threats such as deforestation. AFP | Saidu BAH Tiwai island, located in the Moa River, measures just 12 square kilometres and has 11 species of primates -- including the endangered western chimpanzee, the king colobus monkey and the Diana monkey. In 1992, Garnett, who has dedicated his life to environmental projects in west Africa, created the Environmental Foundation for Africa (EFA). In the early 2000s, he started working to save Tiwai. Today, the wildlife sanctuary is a gleaming success story for Sierra Leone. Even as the country descended into civil war or was ravaged by Ebola in 2014, Garnett was able to stave off deforestation, poaching and other threats. - Raising the alarm - As well its primates, Tiwai has animals such as the pygmy hippopotamus and the critically endangered African forest elephant. While Gola is the largest expanse of tropical rainforest in Sierra Leone, Tiwai, located to the south, serves as a centre for biodiversity research and a destination for ecotourism. In order to achieve this for Tiwai, EFA had to convince local communities to abandon certain activities to protect the forest. The tourism revenue in turn helps provide jobs, training and technical agricultural assistance. During the civil war, the island's wildlife was almost decimated, but Garnett, his NGO and donors brought it back from the brink. The centre's structures had become dilapidated, the ground covered in empty rifle cartridges and people began logging trees, Garnett said. "We raised the alarm that this place was going," he said. The environmentalist quickly found funding for reconstruction and raising awareness among local communities. - 'Country is grateful' - Since then, Garnett and his group have safeguarded the haven despite an onslaught of Ebola, Covid-19 and disastrous weather. "Our lives and livelihoods and cultures and traditions are so inextricably linked to the forest that if the forest dies, a big part of us dies with it," he said. AFP | Saidu BAH An avid cyclist and yoga enthusiast, Garnett's warm, welcoming approach has easily won him allies. "One of my first experiences in life was having a forest as backyard and recognising the richness of it," he said. Garnett was born in 1959 in the rural district of Kono in the country's east, and lived there until age 18. After studying agriculture and development economics abroad, he returned home in the 1990s to reconnect with his family and help Sierra Leone during the war. He began working in environmental protection after witnessing the conflict's destruction and its reliance on mineral resources and mining, particularly diamonds. For 30 years, he and foundation colleagues have travelled the country confronting traffickers and conducting community meetings. AFP | Saidu BAH Over the past 20 years, EFA has planted more than two million trees in deforested areas across Sierra Leone, Garnett said, including 500,000 between 2020 and 2023. The country's environment minister, Jiwoh Abdulai, told AFP he was "really excited and thrilled" about UNESCO's decision, adding that Garnett gave him a lot of "hope and optimism". His contributions to preserving nature are something "that the entire country is grateful for", he said.
The Hindu
14-07-2025
- The Hindu
Decades of activist's work results in Sierra Leone World Heritage site
Activist Tommy Garnett's decades of work paid off when Sierra Leone's Tiwai island — a lush forest home to one of the world's highest concentrations of primates — landed a spot Sunday on the UN cultural agency's World Heritage list. The 66-year-old and the conservation group he founded are the reason Tiwai, which was nearly destroyed during Sierra Leone's 1991-2002 civil war, still exists. 'I feel very happy, relieved, hopeful,' the environmentalist said from the verdant island, ahead of the announcement. The Gola-Tiwai complex, which also includes the nearby Gola Rainforest National Park, will be Sierra Leone's first UNESCO site. The two areas have a spectacular biodiversity that has been imperilled for years by threats such as deforestation. The island, located in the Moa river, measures just 12 sq. km. and has 11 species of primates. In 1992, Mr. Garnett, who has dedicated his life to environmental projects in west Africa, created the Environmental Foundation for Africa (EFA). In the early 2000s, he started working to save Tiwai. Today, the wildlife sanctuary is a gleaming success story for Sierra Leone. Even as the country descended into civil war in the 1990s or was ravaged by Ebola in 2014, Mr. Garnett was able to stave off deforestation, poaching and other harms. Raising the alarm Gola-Tiwai is a treasure chest of biodiversity: The primates include the endangered western chimpanzee, the king colobus monkey and the Diana monkey. And its forests and waters are home to animals such as the pygmy hippopotamus and the critically endangered African forest elephant. While Gola is the largest expanse of tropical rainforest in Sierra Leone, Tiwai, located to the south, serves as a centre for biodiversity research and a destination for ecotourism. In order to achieve this for Tiwai, the EFA had to convince local communities to abandon certain activities to protect the forest. The tourism revenue in turn helps provide them jobs, training and technical agricultural assistance. During the civil war, the island's wildlife was almost decimated, but Mr. Garnett, his NGO and donors brought it back from the brink. The centre's structures had become dilapidated, the ground covered in empty rifle cartridges and people began logging trees, Mr. Garnett said. 'We raised the alarm that this place was going,' he said. The environmentalist quickly found funding for reconstruction and raising awareness among local communities. 'Country is grateful' Since then, Mr. Garnett and his group have safeguarded the haven despite an onslaught of Ebola, COVID-19 and disastrous weather. 'Our lives and livelihoods and cultures and traditions are so inextricably linked to the forest that if the forest dies, a big part of us dies with it,' he said. An avid cyclist and yoga enthusiast, Mr. Garnett's warm, welcoming approach has easily won him allies. 'One of my first experiences in life was having a forest as backyard and recognising the richness of it,' he said. Mr. Garnett was born in 1959 in the rural district of Kono in the country's east, and lived there until the age of 18. After studying agriculture and development economics abroad, he returned home in the 1990s to reconnect with his family and help Sierra Leone during the war. He began working in environmental protection after witnessing the conflict's destruction and its reliance on mineral resources and mining, particularly diamonds. For 30 years, he and foundation colleagues have travelled the country confronting traffickers and conducting community meetings. Over the past 20 years, the EFA has planted more than two million trees in deforested areas across Sierra Leone, Mr. Garnett said, including 5 lakh between 2020 and 2023. The country's Environment Minister, Jiwoh Abdulai, said he was 'really excited and thrilled' about UNESCO's decision, adding that Mr. Garnett gave him a lot of 'hope and optimism'. His contributions preserving nature are something 'that the entire country is grateful for', the Minister said.
France 24
13-07-2025
- France 24
The activist who fought for Sierra Leone's first World Heritage site
The 66-year-old and the conservation group he founded are the reason Tiwai, which was nearly destroyed during Sierra Leone's 1991-2002 civil war, still exists. "I feel very happy, relieved, hopeful," the environmentalist told AFP from the verdant island, ahead of the announcement. The Gola-Tiwai complex, which also includes the nearby Gola Rainforest National Park, will be Sierra Leone's first UNESCO site. UNESCO director general Audrey Azoulay called Gola-Tiwai "a jewel of biodiversity, a sanctuary for rare species and a model of community management." The wildlife and fauna in the two areas have been imperilled for years by threats such as deforestation. Tiwai island, located in the Moa river, measures just 12 square kilometres (4.5 square miles) and has 11 species of primates -- including the endangered western chimpanzee, the king colobus monkey and the Diana monkey. In 1992, Garnett, who has dedicated his life to environmental projects in west Africa, created the Environmental Foundation for Africa (EFA). In the early 2000s, he started working to save Tiwai. Today, the wildlife sanctuary is a gleaming success story for Sierra Leone. Even as the country descended into civil war or was ravaged by Ebola in 2014, Garnett was able to stave off deforestation, poaching and other threats. Raising the alarm As well its primates, Tiwai has animals such as the pygmy hippopotamus and the critically endangered African forest elephant. While Gola is the largest expanse of tropical rainforest in Sierra Leone, Tiwai, located to the south, serves as a centre for biodiversity research and a destination for ecotourism. In order to achieve this for Tiwai, EFA had to convince local communities to abandon certain activities to protect the forest. The tourism revenue in turn helps provide jobs, training and technical agricultural assistance. During the civil war, the island's wildlife was almost decimated, but Garnett, his NGO and donors brought it back from the brink. The centre's structures had become dilapidated, the ground covered in empty rifle cartridges and people began logging trees, Garnett said. "We raised the alarm that this place was going," he said. The environmentalist quickly found funding for reconstruction and raising awareness among local communities. 'Country is grateful' Since then, Garnett and his group have safeguarded the haven despite an onslaught of Ebola, Covid-19 and disastrous weather. "Our lives and livelihoods and cultures and traditions are so inextricably linked to the forest that if the forest dies, a big part of us dies with it," he said. An avid cyclist and yoga enthusiast, Garnett's warm, welcoming approach has easily won him allies. "One of my first experiences in life was having a forest as backyard and recognizing the richness of it," he said. Garnett was born in 1959 in the rural district of Kono in the country's east, and lived there until age 18. After studying agriculture and development economics abroad, he returned home in the 1990s to reconnect with his family and help Sierra Leone during the war. He began working in environmental protection after witnessing the conflict's destruction and its reliance on mineral resources and mining, particularly diamonds. For 30 years, he and foundation colleagues have travelled the country confronting traffickers and conducting community meetings. Over the past 20 years, EFA has planted more than two million trees in deforested areas across Sierra Leone, Garnett said, including 500,000 between 2020 and 2023. The country's environment minister, Jiwoh Abdulai, told AFP he was "really excited and thrilled" about UNESCO's decision, adding that Garnett gave him a lot of "hope and optimism". His contributions preserving nature are something "that the entire country is grateful for", he said. © 2025 AFP
Int'l Business Times
13-07-2025
- Int'l Business Times
The Activist Who Fought For Sierra Leone's First World Heritage Site
Activist Tommy Garnett's decades of work paid off when Sierra Leone's Tiwai island -- a lush forest home to one of the world's highest concentrations of primates -- landed a spot Sunday on the UN cultural agency's World Heritage list. The 66-year-old and the conservation group he founded are the reason Tiwai, which was nearly destroyed during Sierra Leone's 1991-2002 civil war, still exists. "I feel very happy, relieved, hopeful," the environmentalist told AFP from the verdant island, ahead of the announcement. The Gola-Tiwai complex, which also includes the nearby Gola Rainforest National Park, will be Sierra Leone's first UNESCO site. UNESCO director general Audrey Azoulay called Gola-Tiwai "a jewel of biodiversity, a sanctuary for rare species and a model of community management." The wildlife and fauna in the two areas have been imperilled for years by threats such as deforestation. Tiwai island, located in the Moa river, measures just 12 square kilometres (4.5 square miles) and has 11 species of primates -- including the endangered western chimpanzee, the king colobus monkey and the Diana monkey. In 1992, Garnett, who has dedicated his life to environmental projects in west Africa, created the Environmental Foundation for Africa (EFA). In the early 2000s, he started working to save Tiwai. Today, the wildlife sanctuary is a gleaming success story for Sierra Leone. Even as the country descended into civil war or was ravaged by Ebola in 2014, Garnett was able to stave off deforestation, poaching and other threats. As well its primates, Tiwai has animals such as the pygmy hippopotamus and the critically endangered African forest elephant. While Gola is the largest expanse of tropical rainforest in Sierra Leone, Tiwai, located to the south, serves as a centre for biodiversity research and a destination for ecotourism. In order to achieve this for Tiwai, EFA had to convince local communities to abandon certain activities to protect the forest. The tourism revenue in turn helps provide jobs, training and technical agricultural assistance. During the civil war, the island's wildlife was almost decimated, but Garnett, his NGO and donors brought it back from the brink. The centre's structures had become dilapidated, the ground covered in empty rifle cartridges and people began logging trees, Garnett said. "We raised the alarm that this place was going," he said. The environmentalist quickly found funding for reconstruction and raising awareness among local communities. Since then, Garnett and his group have safeguarded the haven despite an onslaught of Ebola, Covid-19 and disastrous weather. "Our lives and livelihoods and cultures and traditions are so inextricably linked to the forest that if the forest dies, a big part of us dies with it," he said. An avid cyclist and yoga enthusiast, Garnett's warm, welcoming approach has easily won him allies. "One of my first experiences in life was having a forest as backyard and recognizing the richness of it," he said. Garnett was born in 1959 in the rural district of Kono in the country's east, and lived there until age 18. After studying agriculture and development economics abroad, he returned home in the 1990s to reconnect with his family and help Sierra Leone during the war. He began working in environmental protection after witnessing the conflict's destruction and its reliance on mineral resources and mining, particularly diamonds. For 30 years, he and foundation colleagues have travelled the country confronting traffickers and conducting community meetings. Over the past 20 years, EFA has planted more than two million trees in deforested areas across Sierra Leone, Garnett said, including 500,000 between 2020 and 2023. The country's environment minister, Jiwoh Abdulai, told AFP he was "really excited and thrilled" about UNESCO's decision, adding that Garnett gave him a lot of "hope and optimism". His contributions preserving nature are something "that the entire country is grateful for", he said. Residents on Tiwai Island had to give up some activities to protect the park that has become a UNESCO World Heritage Site AFP Tommy Garnett founded the Environmental Foundation for Africa whose work played a key role in Tiwai island becoming a UNESCO Heritage Site AFP Tiwai island, in the Moa river, is Sierra Leone's first entry on the UNESCO Heritage Site list AFP
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
NBA stars to turn filmmakers at summer league fest with Kevin Garnett, Mark Wahlberg and Deon Taylor
Lights, camera, layup. The NBA Summer League is giving athletes another shot that takes place behind the camera. With assists from Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett and Hollywood power players Mark Wahlberg and Deon Taylor, the league is bringing back the NBA Summer League Film Festival starting July 17 in Las Vegas. The three-day festival will bring big-screen storytelling through 34 selected projects, spotlighting stories produced by NBA stars past and present including Nikola Jokic, Luguentz Dort, Tony Allen, Nate Robinson, Cole Anthony, Keyon Dooling and Udonis Haslem. 'We have a ton of NBA players who own production companies,' said Garnett, who won NBA championship with the Boston Celtics. He co-founded the production company Content King Studios. "So the SLFF is a great opportunity to get together to share our projects, give each other our flowers for doing the work, and provide an opportunity to get projects financed and even sold,' Garnett said. The second annual film festival will take place at the Strip View Pavilion inside the Thomas & Mack Center, the longtime home of NBA Summer League, which was co-founded in 2004 by Warren LeGarie and Albert Hall. 'I've always been a big hoops fan so it's amazing to see NBA players bring these incredible stories to life,' said Wahlberg, who has the production company Unrealistic Ideas. Deon and Roxanne Avent Taylor of Hidden Empire Film Group were brought on to help athletes explore the art of filmmaking and sharpen their acting chops. 'Today's athletes are more than players. They're storytellers, creators, and global influencers," said Deon Taylor, director of 'Black and Blue,' 'The Intruder, 'Meet the Blacks' and 'Fatale.' This marks another sports-driven venture for Hidden Empire, which teamed up with Skydance Sports and the NFL in March to host film training sessions for more than 20 current and former NFL players. Taylor called the collaboration with Garnett, Wahlberg, Hall and the NBA a "culture shift." He said the festival would help athletes to control their narrative through film, television and other media platforms. 'Together, we're redefining where sports, art, and culture collide,' Taylor said. The festival will feature the premiere of 'UNLV: Kings of Vegas,' showcasing the untold story of the UNLV Runnin' Rebels. The documentary will include interviews with popular figures ranging from Snoop Dogg, Chuck D and Jimmy Kimmel. It's produced by former UNLV stars Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon and Greg Anthony along with Damien Big Percy Roderick and Hidden Empire Film Group. Along with screenings, the festival will host various private events including a tipoff viewing of 'Tony Allen: The Grindfather' and a wrap party. 'The SLFF team is passionate about amplifying these amazing films and filmmakers who are producing all forms of content at NBA Summer League,' Hall said. 'Because of all the talented filmmakers who submitted films this year, we believe the 2025 SLFF is poised to take on a life of its own and grow the second weekend of the Summer League.'
