RISE Fundraising Film Screening 2024: Hidden in Plain Sight

Beneath the breathtaking landscapes and majestic wildlife of safaris lies a hidden truth. In Tanzania, foreign-owned safari companies dominate the high-end market, reaping massive profit by denigrating the land and exploiting the labor of the country. Only about 15% of safari companies throughout Africa are under Black ownership, while the labor force across the continent is over 90% Black. This disparity is so great that the UN estimates that every $100 (USD) a tourist spends on a vacation, only $5 remains in the country.

RISE Travel Institute presented a special screening of "Hidden in Plain Sight," a mini-documentary that explores the dark side of the safari industry. Filmmaker Rachel Levy’s award-winning film uncovers the pervasive economic leakage and exploitation perpetuated by foreign-owned companies across Tanzania.

Through interviews with local guides, safari operators, and community leaders, Levy shines a light on the rarely discussed aspects of the safari industry. For the first time, this film shares a side of the industry that has been silenced for years by heavy-handed, foreign-owned companies. As one speaker in the film says, “Anything outsiders know about Tanzania was probably told to them, shown to them, or explained to them by someone that hasn’t spent more than a month in our country. Now it’s our time to tell our own story.”

This recording is the panel discussion between film director Rachel Levy, conservation and tourism professional Brighton Mbilinyi, and Maggie Duncan Simbeye, one of the first Indigenous woman safari drivers and owner of her own safari company - Maggie's Tour Company.