SHIKABETA KINGDOM, ZAMBIA – -(AmmoLand.com)- The Soli tribe was losing its battle for survival. With no food, no jobs, rampant alcoholism, child brides, teen pregnancy, poaching, and little hope for survival, the tribe’s chieftaness, a woman of immense strength and vision, refused to accept defeat.
She set in place a plan to return her people to the days when game was plentiful, the harvests were bountiful, and her people thrived. She knew she could not do it alone, so she sought help from the Norton family, long-time operators of Makasa Safaris Zambia. This new partnership would change Zambia and its people forever.
Together, they set in place a bold plan to rebuild the Soli community through a mutual commitment to wildlife conservation and active management of the Lower Luano Game Management Area (GMA). Aligned with Makasa Safaris and the personal commitment of Roland Norton and his family, the community adopted a holistic approach to conservation through agriculture and aquaculture, wildlife biology, primary education, policing, and sustainable hunting. The women of Shikabeta were provided grants and interest-free loans to establish small businesses that allowed them to become independent and empowered.
Killing The Shepherd
Tom Opre, an American wildlife conservationist and filmmaker, first visited the Soli people in 2017. Opre immediately recognized the need to document the amazing transformation that was taking place in Zambia. This was a story that needed to be shared. Opre’s documentary Killing the Shepherd is the film that tells this amazing story.
“This film is a must see for anyone interested in wildlife conservation,” said Professor Adam Hart of the University of Gloucester and a presenter for the BBC.
The Norton family and the Soli tribe worked together to introduce fruitful farming practices and established productive
