A visit to Addis Ababa Zoo to learn about the Ethiopian Black Lion

Director of ROBA (Rural Organization for the Betterment of Agro-pastoralists), Hussein Watta, discusses how indigenous Oromo clans protected Ethiopian Black lions in the past, but there remains a much more urgent need for conservation efforts to continue today as these animal numbers continue to dwindle. He also discusses how living tree artworks planted by Oromo communities in the shape of animals such as the lion can teach children and communities about the lion and further aid in the protection of these majestic animals.
Hussein Watta's research interest about lions and Oromo nature emanates from work being completed as part of 'Trees for Life' project, an arts horticultural collaborative commission funded by the British Arts Council (2021 for COP26). It is a project produced in collaboration with climate artists - Sylvia Grace Borda and J.Keith Donnelly and ROBA/Rural Association for the Betterment of Agro-pastoralists (Ethiopia) and with the support with Dundee City Council, UNESCO City of Design (Scotland), and Kwantlen Polytechnic University (Canada) to seed a tree nursery and create a special set of earth observation climate artworks in Ethiopia.
Rural Association for Betterment of Agro-pastoralists | ROBA
robaethiopia.org/
To learn more about 'Trees for Life' project visit
earth-art-studio.com/the-proje...
Creative Climate Commissions, British Council
www.britishcouncil.org/arts/c...
Video and editing by Geleta Aman, ROBA Youth Digital Trainer, January 2022