Why is Afzelia Africana, a rare and valuable hardwood that is on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s red-list – and that is also of cultural significance in local communities – now on the verge of disappearing from one of its few natural habitats in the world, northern Uganda? The Golden Tree, is an advocacy piece addressing that question.

In the documentary, we explore the corruption, the greed and the short-term perspective of a combination of officialdom and traditional leaders when it comes to Afzelia Africana (known locally as Beyo). We see how these couple with a poorly regulated international market for high-quality timber. We highlight how the presence of a massive influx of refugees provides a convenient smokescreen behind which – in the name of assuring their own children’s futures – the loggers are selling out the future of an entire society.