Sappi Southern Africa’s Forests division has won an international award for a video about its successful Khulisa programme.

The video is aimed at encouraging participants in the Khulisa development programme to become sustainable participants in the forestry value chain. 

Rather than remaining as subsistence farmers growing small crops of timber, the video – narrated in Zulu by Gcina Mhlophe – tells how a grower can become self-sufficient through training and mentorship opportunities offered by the programme. 

Sappi Khulisa started as a tree-farming scheme aimed at subsistence farmers in KwaZulu-Natal. Today it also has a presence in the Eastern Cape, and is a successful job creation and entrepreneurship development model promoting forestry as a means of creating sustainable livelihoods in rural areas. 

The video won the International Association of Business Communicators’ Gold Quill award for most innovative video at a virtual gala event held on June 16. 

The video, which won the coveted ‘Best of the Best’ Award in the audiovisual category, was produced by Sappi Forests communication manager Zelda Schwalbach along with a team from Sappi Khulisa that was led by Sappi Forests development manager Dutliff Smith.

“This entry showed clear impact not only on the project, but on ethical business practice within the frame of environmental concern “

The production company was Danegerous Pictures, under the direction of Dane Maxwell.
Recommended by evaluators, and reviewed by the Gold Quill Awards chair, vice chair and past chair, the Best of the Best winners represent the top entries from across the globe. 
The 2020 awards committee felt the Khulisa video pushed the boundaries of what could be achieved by combining local languages, storytelling and compelling ideas across multiple media, while involving the actual audience in collaboration with the project. 

“This entry showed clear impact not only on the project, but on ethical business practice within the frame of environmental concern. The video and map used showed very professional and innovative execution.

We view this as an example for others to follow,” the committee said.

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