Festival Nature Through her Eyes, VII Academy: Interview of Zakiya Mckenzie

The Nature: Through Her Eyes festival was a special event with free admission celebrating and highlighting women’s roles in storytelling about nature and the environment, including writers, photographers, filmmakers, as well as camera and sound operators.

The festival was held in Perpignan, France from October 18-21st, 2019 with presenters from the media, literature, academia and research, and legal and commercial worlds. Programming included professional workshops, seminars, film screenings, and mentoring, and these videos offer a glimpse into the 4 days of exciting events.

The UPVD was a partner of the event.

Zakiya Mckenzie began her working life as a scriptwriter and journalist in Kingston, Jamaica, New York City and then Johannesburg, South Africa. Back home in England, she became a ‘Green and Black Ambassador,’ making connections between Bristol’s African-Caribbean communities and the city’s booming environmental sector. She holds a Masters of Research in Environment, Energy and Resilience from the University of Bristol where she graduated with a dissertation on the social and ecological implications of Exxon Mobil’s massive oil find in the Caribbean country of Guyana. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Literature from the University of Exeter looking at Black journalists in Britain. Zakiya is also a volunteer producer-presenter at Ujima 98fm Bristol. Now, as one of Forestry England’s Writer in the Residence, she continues a love affair with writing, heritage and nature.

Learn more about the festival at: www.naturethroughhereyes.com