An Interview with Noel Kok

Q. What inspired your interest in wildlife conservation? Can you share a memorable experience that fuelled this passion?

They say when you see a rhino for the first time in Africa, that moment stays with you for the rest of your life. Noel then explains his first encounter with a rhino. He says: “I was around six or seven years old, in the late 1970’s. I was playing outside a shopping center when a lady with her two kids walked by me, got into their car, and gave me 20 cents before driving off.

On the back of their champagne-colored Range Rover was a sticker that said “Save the Rhino.” I had never seen a rhino before and didn’t even know it existed. From that moment, I started noticing that sticker everywhere, always on cars driven by white people. This made me think that the rhino wasn’t really “our” animal, but something white people cared about.”

Rhino poaching was rampant across Africa between the 1960’s through the 1990’s, Noel explains: “Every time I saw anything about wildlife on TV, particularly rhinos, black Africans were portrayed as rangers, guides, or poachers—never in charge. This reinforced my belief that the rhino wasn’t our animal. As I grew older and became more aware of apartheid and its effects, I started feeling troubled by how white people seemed to care more about an animal than us. This sentiment stayed with me for years until I finally had the chance to visit the Kruger National Park and see a rhino in person. That encounter made me understand why people wanted to protect this magnificent creature, but it also saddened me to see that, even in the park, Black people were mostly in service roles.” This experience fueled Noel’s passion for wildlife and the need for greater inclusion in conservation.

Q. Where are you from?

“I am from Durban, South Africa. I was born and raised here. After finishing high school, I left and returned 17 years later. Now, I continue to live here.”

Q. What were your hopes and dreams as a child?
“As a child, I grew up watching American television series, particularly American law shows, which made me dream of becoming a hotshot lawyer. Whenever a teacher asked what I wanted to be, I would say a lawyer, and they’d always say, ‘You’d be amazing.’ But that was just television; reality was different. South Africa doesn’t have a jury system; we have a constitutional system where your personality counts for nothing if you’re going to be a lawyer. To become a lawyer here, you need to be a bookworm and study hard, which wasn’t me. After high school, I got a university pass, and my dad, who had saved money for only one of his ten children to go to university, chose to pay for me since I was the first to get a pass. But I soon realized I was studying the wrong degree. I spent half a year in university feeling miserable and looking for an excuse to leave. One day, after my older brother beat me up, I used that as an excuse to hitchhike to Johannesburg and didn’t return for 18 years.”

Q. The journey from the music industry to storytelling.
“While living in Johannesburg, a tragic event in 2001 prompted me to move back to Durbanfor healing. I got into the music business and started an independent record label. My first artist blew up in 2002, and though the business was successful, I felt it lacked meaning. The music industry requires ruthlessness, which didn’t align with my values. By 2008, I signed a second artist who also became very successful, but I hated it and wanted out. To save money on music videos, I bought a camera and started making them myself. Eventually, I met Pragna, who became my business partner and later my wife. We shifted our focus from the music industry to making music documentaries and covering live shows.” This collaboration led them to falling in love and getting married in 2012. “In late 2012, I missed a flight and spent three hours in the airport, where I saw a campaign about saving the rhino. This reminded me of my childhood experiences and sparked an idea. Rhino poaching had returned since 2008, and I realized the need to reach the communities living near the parks. Despite the portrayal of black people only as rangers, guides, or poachers, I felt we needed to change the narrative.” This is when sitting down waiting for his plane, Noel wrote his first conservation TV series, ‘Code Green.’ Noel explains that after pitching the idea to Pragna, they produced and developed the show,  which aired in June 2015. Though it was a success in terms of ratings, it bankrupted them because of the high costs of accessing wildlife and stories. He says: “Being the only filmmakers of color in this genre at the time made it even more challenging. When we arrived at the parks with our all-black crew, we were often viewed with suspicion, as if we were there to harm the rhinos rather than tell their story.”

Q. When did NEWF Congress start?
In 2017, Noel and Pragna were facing significant financial challenges. Noel reflects, “The world utilizes so much of Africa’s nature and wildlife, yet there was no platform in Africa for conservationists, scientists, filmmakers, storytellers, and broadcasters to come together and discuss solutions. We decided we couldn’t just walk away defeated; we needed to address this issue. By January of that year, we conceived the idea of hosting a film festival.

However, we questioned which films to showcase. Thus, we decided to create a congress where people could gather to discuss and find ways to overcome the challenges we faced in producing our first TV series. In March, we pitched this idea to the head of parks and recreation in Durban, who loved it and offered us $500,000. Though we never received the funds, his belief in our idea was crucial and motivated us to move forward.”

And so, the annual NEWF Congress began in 2017. Noel adds, “We invited speakers and approached film commissions to fund new and emerging filmmakers, granting them $2,500 each to produce their first short films. We leveraged our connections from previous TV series to gain access to parks for filming. In our first year, we hosted 100 participants and showcased new short films by emerging filmmakers. A significant NGO at the congress met one of these filmmakers, leading to the production of ‘Our Oceans.’ In 2018, we faced a new challenge: despite Africa’s extensive coastlines, we struggled to find a black African underwater filmmaker. This realization, coupled with our producers’ labs, highlighted the need for technical training to break down entry barriers for black African filmmakers. We launched dive and cinematography labs and realized many black African scientists lacked access to cameras, unlike their white counterparts. This disparity led us to design programs supporting black African conservationists, scientists, and storytellers technically. What started as an annual event has evolved into an organization with year-round programs supporting conservationists, scientists, and storytellers across Africa.”

Q. How did Africa Refocused and eKhaya come to be?
Noel recounts their evolving relationship with National Geographic: “We initially invited them to our annual congress in 2017, but received no response. In 2018, they sent their Early Career Grants manager at the last minute. By 2019, they supported us by sending Kaitlin Yarnall, Chief Storytelling Officer of National Geographic Society. Her visit was a major milestone as she recognized our work. By 2020, some of our community members becameNatGeo explorers and spoke at their summit. In 2021, I spoke at their virtual storyteller summit. National Geographic then asked us how we would scale our work, which led to the creation of the ‘Africa Refocused’ program. We envisioned scaling up our initiatives—more dive labs, cinematography labs, and regional growth—anchored in a center that provided a safe space for storytellers, scientists, and conservationists. This community-focused approach ensured dignity and safety while fostering collaboration and skill development. Thus, the idea and dream of eKhaya emerged as a facility supporting our vision for Africa Refocused.”

Q. Where do you see eKhaya in the future?
“I see eKhaya as a beacon of hope, exemplifying African excellence and serving as a model for bridging connections across Africa, the world, and the oceans.”

Q. And for NEWF? What do you see in the time to come?

“For NEWF, I envision partnerships with other organizations worldwide to protect our natural habitats and wildlife. We aim to connect people to the environment, showing that humans are not separate from nature. We want to demonstrate that conservation is part of our heritage. Instead of creating multiple NEWFs across Africa, we prefer to partner with existing organizations, sharing our successful models and fostering a network of visual storytellers led by indigenous African voices. We advocate for partnerships, not just to tell African stories, but to enrich them through collaboration. It’s about teaching and empowering communities, not just providing aid.”

Q. How do you envision the NEWF x DWP partnership impacting lives?
“The most crucial aspect of our partnership is healing—both spiritually and communally. It’s about serving each other’s purposes and amplifying our impact. The work is not just about recovering the past but also about protecting the planet. Storytelling, as Kaitlin Yarnell said, speaks to the heart. To protect the planet, we need to touch hearts and minds. Our shared challenges can lead to shared solutions. By supporting each other, we can address representation and access issues more effectively. This partnership is a natural fit, leveraging our common African heritage to build stronger communities. Our collaboration is seamless, as if we’ve known each other forever. Together, we can amplify our programs’ impact and create significant change.”

Q. How do you change the story?
“For too long, stories about Africans, African Americans, and South Americans have been told by outsiders, shaping perspectives inaccurately. Changing the story means changing the storyteller. By telling our own stories, we control the narrative and present the true picture.” – Noel Kok