African Book Talk Series - "The Big Conservation Lie" by John Mbaria and Mordecai Ogada

Columbia Global Centers | Nairobi African Book-Talk series is a virtual program that features primarily African authors. With this series, CGC | Nairobi provides a platform where African writers can engage a global audience, discussing their work and exciting perspectives on how personal, political, and cultural experiences drive their storytelling.

Our latest episode featured "The Big Conservation Lie" by Mordecai Ogada and John Mbaria. The authors note that Western paradigms and values have dominated Kenya's management and conservation practice for several decades. Dr. Mbaria and Dr. Ogada critique the number of resources devoted to promoting extrinsic values, like tourism, while ignoring or actively suppressing indigenous ecosystem values. In their book, the writers also touch on the seldom-visited question of racial prejudices in the Kenyan conservation sector, which alienate indigenous peoples- the most important conservation partners. "The Big Conservation Lie" confronts the historical, political and ethical challenges currently facing conservation practice in Kenya through the insights of two individuals who have observed it from completely different perspectives.

On June 15th, 2022 as we delved deeper into this discussion, in a session moderated by Nyaguthii Chege, who has over 20 years experience in sustainable development, public sector governance, and human resources development in the nonprofit sector, higher education institutions, and international financial institutions. Enjoy the Video!