21 June, 2000
MPINGO: THE TREE THAT MAKES MUSIC
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Young Blackwood tree planted in the wild by Sebastian Chuwa |
TVE was delighted last week to receive a large order for one of the classic films in its distribution back catalogue - Mpingo: The Tree That Makes Music.
TVE was especially pleased to learn that the order came from the African Blackwood Conservation Project (ABCP), who told us that it was TVE's film that inspired their formation in 1996.
African Blackwood is another name for the Mpingo tree, native to Tanzania, where it plays a vital role in the local culture, economy and natural environment. Akin in its physical properties almost to a metal, the incredibly hard Mpingo wood is also recognised the world over as the premium raw material in many instruments' manufacture, particularly for flutes and clarinets.
TVE's Mpingo: The Tree That Makes Music follows Makonde woodcarvers in Tanzania harvesting the blackwood to make beautiful traditional carvings, passing their skills down from father to son and creating a healthy income at the same time. The film then shows the industrial felling of the Mpingo tree and its transformation into elite musical instruments in the west.
However, as the film also documents, this precious natural resource is under threat. Taking 60-70 years to reach maturity, the fully developed trees are fast disappearing, whilst fire clearances of land making way for agriculture kill the next generation of saplings at the same time.
It is to highlight the plight of this most highly prized tree that the African Blackwood Conservation Project was formed. The group engages in initiatives such as education as well as an ongoing project to raise new saplings securely to then be planted back into the wild where they can reach maturity. Field manager of this project is Sebastian Chuwa, a Tanzanian botanist and along with James Harris, a co-founder of the ABCP.
Mpingo: The Tree That Makes Music features Sebastian at his conservation work and with his example demonstrates how sustainable management of Mpingo plantations benefits local communities and international markets alike. The African Blackwood Conservation Project hopes to use TVE's film to further this work.
- Click here to view or order Mpingo: The Tree that Makes Music in the TVE Moving Pictures catalogue.
- Click here to visit the African Blackwood Conservation Project's homepage.
tve is a collective name for Television for the Environment and Television Trust for the Environment. Television for the Environment is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales (registered office 21 Elizabeth Street, London SW1W 9RP, company number 1811236)and a registered charity (charity number 326585). Television Trust for the Environment is a registered charity (charity number 326539).