18/09/2026
๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ก๐จ๐ฆ๐. ๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐จ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ข๐ญ. ๐๐ก๐๐ญ'๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ซ ๐จ๐ "๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐ง๐."
In Zagnรฉ, a sub-prefecture nestled in the Cavally region of western Cรดte d'Ivoire, something quietly extraordinary happened. A short film called "La Racine" ("The Root") was shot, and instead of flying in professional extras, the production turned to the people who know this forest best: the farmers, families, and Earthworm Foundation (EF) field staff who live and work by the Cavally Natural Reserve Forest, a 67,541 hectares of forest that shelters endangered chimpanzees and pygmy hippopotamuses.
The story behind the film "๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐ง๐" follows a young environmentalist who returns to her home village after a dream in which her late father appears to her, trapped in a forest under threat. It's a fictional tale, but the emotion behind it is entirely real for the people of Zaipobly village, who opened their homes, their traditions, and their time to bring it to life on screen.
From our field staff, , , and former colleague , to the chief and community of Zaรฏpobly, to the film crew who guided it all, everyone became part of the story they were trying to tell. As echoed by Marie, the lead cast during filming: "๐ป๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐; ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐ ๐๐. ๐ฐ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐."
Why cast the community instead of actors? We cast the community instead of actors because sensitization is most effective when it comes from within. When farmers see their neighbors, their chief, and familiar faces from EF on screen and not distant actors, the message about deforestation sinks differently. It becomes their story, not a lecture delivered to them.
More than a movie, "La Racine" isn't made for cinema alone. It's a working tool in the Cavally landscape project, used directly in the field to spark conversations, open community dialogue sessions, and reinforce why forest protection and sustainable livelihoods must go hand in hand.
๐ฅ The film is live now on YouTube. Go watch it, subscribe, and tell us what stood out to you in the comments.
๐ https://youtu.be/EIdjlHDIEuU
๐ Know more about the Cavally Lanscape Project: https://earthworm.org/our-work/projects/cavally
Located at the intersection of supply chains and production regions, Earthworm Foundation's collective actions at the landscape level serve as centers for evolutionary regeneration and enable sustainability challenges to be addressed. The Cavally Landscape is financially supported by Nestlรฉ, Swiss Platform for Sustainable Cocoa, SECO Economic Cooperation and Development, Touton Group, Barry Callebaut Group, and Edelsource, and benefits from the commitment of communities, local governments, and other local stakeholders.
Dโune durรฉe de 18 minutes, ยซ La racine ยป raconte lโhistoire dโune j...
