WILDLIFE CONSERVATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM IN ZIMBABWE
Australian-American comedian and late night talk show host Jim Jefferies recently did a segment on anti-poaching efforts in Zimbabwe. He has previously covered trophy hunting in Zimbabwe and in the more recent episode, he focuses on the work of Damien Mander, a former special operations sniper in the Australian Defence Forces who established the International Anti-Poaching Foundation (IAPF). The IAPF’s work in Zimbabwe has garnered international attention f or its exclusive recruitment of female rangers. I invite everyone to view this segment as it offers a succinct portrayal of what Teju Cole has called the white savior industrial complex . The segment begins with a celebration of Africa’s natural landscape, open plains and majestic animals. Not for the first time, Africa is lauded for retaining a premodern aesthetic. Unlike the 'savage' and 'barbaric' jungle which needed taming through colonialism, the continent is now pre...