Celebrity campaigns undermine human rights and conservation :: Mmegi Online

Local people’s rights to make a living by sustainably using their land and wildlife are enshrined in international and national laws, and cannot be undermined by one-sided views. They are not up for debate, writes Resource Africa’s KUDZAI MAKOMBE*

A group of more than 50 community leaders, representing millions of people across southern Africa, have urged UK-based celebrities to stop using their influence to undermine the human rights of impoverished people and jeopardise wildlife conservation in the region.

In an open letter to Ricky Gervais, Joanna Lumley, Peter Egan, Ed Sheeran, Dame Judi Dench, and Piers Morgan, who have vocally criticised trophy hunting, community leaders welcome international interest in African wildlife but warn that celebrities “view elephants, lions and other wildlife through a romantic, idealised lens”.

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