Ivory Wars' on MediaStorm

With Live Earth only a few days behind us, it is safe to say that environmental awareness is experiencing a much needed resurgence on the world stage. MediaStorm, the Washington Post-sponsored photojournalism site that launched in 2005, catapults the still active ivory market back into view with their latest piece, “Ivory Wars”.

Created in conjunction with Conservationist J. Michael Fay and National Geographic Magazine photographer Michael Nichols, "Ivory Wars" shows a moving dichotomy between the beauty of Africa, and the horror of the ivory black market.

The video’s focus is on the Zakouma National Park in Chad which is a haven to one of the world’s largest remaining concentrations of elephants. The struggle between elephant and poacher is portrayed in tragic detail, and the photography presents a side to the story that is more telling than some of the video portions.

Video presents a visual aesthetic associated with first person interaction, but MediaStorm’s signature photo-audio-driven story shows a more detailed component that is often lost with moving pictures. These methods combine to create a visual power greater than Captain Planet could ever hope to evoke.

This calibre of work should now be expected from a MediaStorm production; reinforcing their two recent nominations for a Broadband Emmy.  The video’s an excellent watch, and also an informative commentary on environmental injustices in a region of the world which harbors innumerable hardships.

For more photographs of Zakouma and information, check out the National Geographic site.