Inside experience centre at the Mara

Canon recently launched the first experience centre in Maasai Mara to educate, empower and raise awareness about Maasai Mara’s ecosystem.

The experience centre is located in Ishara camp, which is one of the most-sought-after locations in the Mara.

Ishara is a Swahili word for sign, and this place invites you to embrace each moment as a sign.

The experience centre will focus on nature and wildlife while empowering the Maasai community by providing unique and immersive photography, video and print experience at the national reserve.

“Through the experience centre at Ishara Mara, our vision is to create a space where each party can benefit, be it the visitors or the local communities or even nature itself,” said Somesh Adukia, managing director of Canon Central and North Africa. 

Journalists at the launch had the opportunity to sample the range of cameras that Canon displayed. It was also complete with high-end Canon accessories, binoculars, photo printers, a professional photo-editing suite and a resident pro.

Whether you are a professional or a first-timer, Ishara and Canon will give you the space to explore, learn and hone your shooting skills.

To promote creativity and imagination, the visitors will be invited to participate in a ‘best shot’ photography competition, and the winning shots displayed at the centre’s photo gallery.

The centre will offer families the opportunity to interact, engage and immerse in the world of photography with products such as Selphy and Zoe Mini, along with access to Pixma. Children will also get to have an experience through the kids' zone. 

Local Maasai indigenous tour guides, including women, will be equipped with the necessary skills, thus transforming them into Canon ambassadors and content creators. 

Canon will further support the trained guides to purchase official Canon equipment through its exclusive packages designed for the Maasai tour guides.

LONG-TERM MISSION

Since Canon established its presence in Kenya 16 years ago, it has been striving to improve sustainability at every stage of its manufacturing process, while supporting customers as it reduces its environmental impact.

With the ISO 14001 accreditation, it ensures it improves its environmental performance, fulfilling its compliance obligation and meeting its environmental objectives.

It also reduces noise and ozone emissions by measuring, declaring and reducing the noise characteristics of its products.

Through its sustainability programme, Miraisha, Canon is promoting job opportunities and future livelihoods in Africa by offering workshops to photographers, videographers, filmmakers and print business owners to enhance and support their skillsets.

As part of the experience by Canon and Ishara, journalists, bloggers and organisers were treated to a tour of the camp facilities.

These included Shamba of Goodness, which has the Aeroponic Tower Farms that grow fresh produce and use 95 per cent less water than traditional methods. This ensures minimal land degradation and does not affect the indigenous biodiversity of the flora native to the Mara ecosystem.

The wellness area has a spa, gym and infinity pool. You can enjoy a relaxing ride on a waterproof cushion across the pool.

The next facility was the Star Bed. This experience embodies the true meaning of freedom and is an inimitable way to embrace nature. You will experience a spectacular evening beneath the African night sky below a blanket of stars.

The tour ended with a visit to the extensive rainwater harvesting system, which is capable of collecting and storing up to 150,000 litres of fresh rainwater.

Two days after launching the experience centre, Canon entered into an agreement with Copy Cat group to further its B2B printing solution offering in the Kenyan market to meet the soaring demand from diverse industry sectors.

This was intended to strengthen the printing landscape as well as nurture the spirit of innovation and development in Kenya and East Africa.

“There are many industries in Kenya that are in high need of excellent managed printing solutions through our partnership with Canon,”  Copy Cat MD Vishal Patel said.

“We aspire to cater to these unmet demands from across industries to support them in growing their business.”

With the wide range of equipment by Canon in the Kenyan market, it has also dedicated a broadcast solution for the newsroom that allows producers in the studio to connect with the journalist in another location.