Simona Nickmanova

Meet Simona Nickmanova, an impact producer and event organizer from Eastern Europe, now based in Tanzania. As an impact producer, Simi designs and executes campaigns grounded in the belief that the most authentic African stories are told by African voices. She collaborates with local storytellers, working to amplify their narratives and bring them to global audiences. As an event organizer, she creates experiences and gatherings that aim to spark meaningful change. Simi was born with a fire burning inside her to advocate for fair treatment of all living beings. This led her to organizing and campaigning from a young age, often getting in trouble for not being afraid to call out injustices. Having grown up between multiple cultures, she’s mastered the ability to adapt and shift perspectives. She describes this as being a chameleon, an approach that allows her to navigate complexity, collaborate across differences, and communicate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders Simi draws deep inspiration from the wisdom of indigenous women. Through her work in East Africa, she has built close relationships with Hadzabe and indigenous communities, reconnecting with forms of knowledge that have been lost in Europe over time. She is committed to using her skills and perspective to amplify underrepresented voices and support the communities she works with—from East Africa with @afrisos to @childrenofhoney.film @chameleoncorridors to her work with @ecosia . “The more I learn about the indigenous wisdom, the more I am led to remember my own ancestors.” Simi is one of the People of Omek. Powered by people, grounded in community. #poweredbypeople #peopleofomek #omekstories ​​📸 @webstermugavazi @albert.stevanus.official @sofia_kaabu_kingdom_

An invasive plant has taken over the primate capital of the world. Watch the full video on @ecosia YT channel about the time we went to Kibale national park in Uganda and learned the unique story of Acanthus.

In 2020 I summited Kilimanjaro’s Uhuru Peak (5895m), 5 years later I went up to Mawenzi (5149m) - the second highest peak and an extinct volcano! 🌋 From the Roof of Africa to the jagged peaks of Mawenzi! 🏔️✨ Join @jiganatra and me THIS THURSDAY for a raw, firsthand look at what it takes to trek Kili. We’re sharing our stories to kick off the Summit FOR SEGA 2026 - a climb that empowers young women leaders. Ready for an adventure with impact? Link in bio to join the free session! 🌋👟 Oh, and do you know the name of the third peak ??? 😉 #summitforsega #Kilimanjaro #Tanzania #ClimbForACause virtualevent

We’ve reached a new high and are absolutely overjoyed to share that we are winners of the prestigious @jacksonwildorg X @earthalliance Impact Campaign Pitch competition! 🏆🌍🥳 Bringing home not only 30,000 USD but also support from the Impact Campaign pros at the @earthalliance (cc mariannaolinger) This isn’t just a win, it’s a powerful moment for the communities of the Eastern Arc Mountains, giving a tremendous boost to our vital work protecting the incredible, unique species found nowhere else. A heartfelt shout-out to our powerhouse duo who crushed the pitch: the phenomenal Impact Producer, @siminickman , and visionary Film Director, @jiganatra . Thank you for securing this prestigious win! 🙏🏼🙏🏽🙏🏾🙏🏿 And to our incredible partners - you are the backbone of this success! @myworldfilmgrant , @schoolyardfilms , @amberjackfilms , @afrisos , @pams_foundation , @greenmanjaro_foundation , @nomadtanzania , @janegoodallinst , @rootsandshootstz , @tanzania_forest , Global Impact Producers Alliance, our amazing filming crew, and especially the dedicated local community members in the Eastern Arc Mountains: WE DID THIS TOGETHER!! Your support is the fuel for this mission. Thank you for believing! 💚 #JacksonWild #EarthAlliance #ImpactPitch #EasternArcMountains #ConservationWinners #WildlifeProtection #JoyfulNews #WeDidIt #Tanzania

Thank you, Dr. Jane Goodall, for being the unstoppable force you were, leaving this world with an inspiring message of hope 🙏🏼🤍 Just a couple of months ago, I had the privilege of meeting Jane in person and sharing the work we’re doing with Tanzanian youth, equipping them to become the leaders of the future and the stewards of nature. I left that magical dinner with three lessons that will stay with me forever: 1. Be Unapologetically Yourself I admired her for owning who she was - stubborn, determined and with a clear mission, even when others called her ‘difficult.’ This hits home for so many female changemakers… I’m inspired to ‘channel my inner Jane’ and not be afraid to be ‘difficult’ for the right cause 💪🏻🌸 2. Planting is Not Enough After hearing about our Kili Kids for Climate festival, she stressed “Planting trees is not enough! You have to make sure you plant the right tree in the right place and commit to taking care of it as it grows.” A powerful lesson in deep commitment and caring - as long as is needed, to see the mission to its full completion. (P.S. she LOVED and championed @ecosia and made sure we were all using it!) 🌳🌴🌲🌱 3. Jane brings the rain She told us she was known for bringing the rain, and shared anecdotes to prove it. 🌧️ The night of her passing was a rainy one here in Grand Teton National Park... perhaps she did come to say a last hello to the whole @jacksonwildorg community of nature documentary filmmakers. We have a song about her now - ‘Jane brings the rain’ We raised a glass of whiskey for you, Jane. We are committed to continuing your legacy and protecting all living creatures. And there are millions of us, maybe even billions! #JaneGoodall #Tribute #Legacy #Conservation #Hope #FemaleLeaders #Changemaker #Tanzania #JacksonWild #RootsAndShoots

Introducing “Chameleon Corridors”, a 2025 Jackson Wild x Earth Alliance Impact Pitch finalist! Set in the extraordinarily biodiverse cloud forest of the Eastern Arc Mountains in Tanzania, this film, directed by Jigar Ganatra, creates an emotional connection to the often-misunderstood Chameleon. It showcases reforestation as a community-led effort, modeled by the Zigua, Sambaa and Pare farming communities featured in the film. The Chameleon Corridors impact campaign, led by Simona Nickmanova, engages farming communities relocating to the forest’s edges with the aim of transforming their fear and superstitions around endangered species into a protective pride for all wildlife of the Eastern Arc Mountains. This campaign is nurturing a new generation of conservation stewards by inspiring active participation in regenerative farming and reforestation. Film Producers:  @afrisos  @myworldfilmgrant  @amberjackfilms   Impact Partners: @pams_foundation  @treesforall_nl   #JacksonWild #JacksonWildFinalist #ImpactPitch #Chameleons #Tanzania #Biodiversity #JacksonWildSummit #StorytellingForThePlanet

This is what a climate crisis looks like from 14,000 feet!!🔥🌳 From her vantage point on Mount Kilimanjaro, our Impact Producer @siminickman witnessed the destructive reality of slash-and-burn agriculture on the Usambara Mountains - wiping out a vital ecosystem in real time 💔 We are here to turn this awareness into action! On September 29th, we’re pitching at @jacksonwildorg @earthalliance Impact Pitch to rally support. Help us fight for these unique cloud forests. Follow our journey on @chameleoncorridors #StopDeforestation #ClimateCrisis #Tanzania #EasternArc #Conservation #JacksonWild #ChameleonCorridors #ActNow #FilmmakersForChange #Environment #Usambara

Last week we attended The Wildscreen Botswana with our Nature Griots gang! 💥 After our Expedition Filmmaking Workshop that took place in the heart of Okavango Delta, our mentees and mentors from @afrisos and @greatspineofafrica arrived loud and proud to @wildscreenorg in Maun - to show off five films we made in under 6 days! The films by @recordsfrombase @wrightwel_nyirenda @pauline_kyalo @rufusiahmolefe and @isphan_pro have been greatly received by an audience of almost 200 attendees, tears were shed, introductions turned into friendships, conversations into handshakes and a 2-day industry gathering turnend into a whole lively community 💓 Botswana, you were amazing and we cannot wait to be back!! 🇧🇼❤️🇹🇿 #storytellingforchange #naturegriots #documentary #wildlifeconservation #wildlifefilmmaking #filmindustryinsights #botswana #maun #community

A production with lots of unexpected twists, great crew and endless giggles ... One for the books! 📚 I won't be able to write a better caption than the one of @jiganatra - A story as old as time itself. I’ve always been a fan of origin myths, trying to understand where we all come from and how we got here. The Hadzabe people of Tanzania, who can trace their roots back 50,000 years, have sat around countless fires telling stories of Ts’ikayo and Duduk’we. It’s the story of how the first Hadza came to be, a legend that is full of so many details, twists and morals. It’s a tale that can take hours to tell and no short film can do justice to the richness of the traditional oral storytelling of the Hadza. When Sony reached out to me and asked to make a film using their G master lenses, I thought I’d give a go at portraying the Hadza mythosphere. It turned out to be a really fun collaborative process full of laughter and learning. I wanted to know why the Hadza are so afraid of elephants, and so I asked my good Hadza friend Mkalama. Over 2 hours, he told me the story of Duduk’we, the ancient beast that looked like a massive elephant. I asked a lot of questions to Mkalama and we then co-wrote this 3 minute script that set the foundations for this cinematic video. Using Sony’s sharp yet painterly lenses, and the blessings of nature, I’ve made this short film with the intention to preserve and celebrate one of the many stories from the Hadzabe people. An ode to the community who have inspired me constantly over the last 5 years. Shot on Sony Burano and FX3 with G master lenses from @sonymea Thanks to the team who helped make this project come to life. Main actor: Mkalama Ts’ikayo actor: Rebecca DP: @jiganatra BTS Filmmaker: @frankpapushka Producer: @siminickman Hadza Photographer: Yohanna Zinzi Mentor: @eric.averdung Editor: @jiganatra Sound design: @suds344 Many more authentic Hadza stories and cinematic sequences will feature in our documentary @childrenofhoney.film so make sure to follow the journey. Special thanks @tarangire_national_park @tanzaniaparks @tarangiresafarilodge

Who are the Humans of Humankind? 👣 Creators, Dreamers, Doers. Meet Simona @siminickman and Jigar @jiganatra — a powerhouse duo who collaborate with indigenous communities and emerging filmmakers to tell authentic stories of Africa’s rich natural and cultural heritage. Check out their work @afrisos 🎥 Just like our Kombucha, Kimchi, and Sauerkraut, they’re authentic, naturally driven, intentionally crafted, and full of life 🫠🤸🏽‍♂️ They’re not just customers — they’re part of a bigger culture 💛 At Humankind, we are a community of curious, conscious humans, seeking to create something meaningful with this one wild and wonderful life 🌱✨ humankind • kombucha • local product • zanzibar • arusha • tanzania #HumansOfHumankind #CultureFromZanzibar #LiveCultured #HumankindTZ #GutGoodness #CreatorsOfCulture

Things I learned organising my first large scale event a) FOR KIDS b) IN TANZANIA this May 1, The kids don’t judge you for anything, they are so happy and satisfied by just the existence of the event itself - made me think at what age did I start building up all those expectations … 🥲 💯Most grateful and rewarding audience to build for! 2, organising my first event in Tanzania felt like organising my first event ever - when you organise events your network is your team. In The Netherlands everyone was one call away. In Tanzania - I was calling everyone for the first time. With my limited Kiswahili, everything took much longer, which was at times pretty frustrating. Luckily @angiemuka joined me and dragged my ass out of the gutter! 🙏🏼 3, When you are doing something no one has done before - like for example bringing together 30 different schools in school busses from 5 different locations - expect to navigate the most unexpected situations, which you couldn’t predict, prevent nor is there an immediate solution - because no one has done it before. You build on the go. And sometimes those hard things are just redirections to something even greater ✨ 4, In Tanzania, people aren’t comfortable to say ‘no’ - so they will say ‘yes no problem’ but what they really mean is ‘not happening and I am not even going to come’ … a Tanzanian can tell: ‘That was a clear no’ although the person literally said ‘yes’. I am still learning… 😅 We decided it’s better that @jiganatra handles all negotiations cause I am used to the Dutch directness and that simply doesn’t work here 5, In The Netherlands we used to organise things way ahead of time. In fact, the earlier you confirm things the better. In Tanzania, time flows differently. The whole perception of time is different. It’s not linear. People don’t feel urgency the way we feel it in Europe. Asking service providers for quotes or information 2 months before the event was in many cases too early and perceived as unusual and unnecessary. “Call us 2 weeks before the event and we’ll talk then” 🤓 Lots of learnings and sleepless nights later, we managed to build an absolutely amazing event! 💪🏻💪🏼💪🏽💪🏾💪🏿

We are very excited to announce that Children Of Honey’s impact campaign won the @storyboard.collective Impact Pitch award of 10,000 CHF at. @fifdh.geneve . The Hadza community members who are part of our team were delighted to receive the wonderful news. We will be using this prize to further develop our impact campaign and make steps towards achieving our impact goals, in particular the goal of Language and Cultural Heritage preservation through the Hadza Media Center. We would like to give special thanks to our Impact Producer @siminickman , and her impact campaign team consisting of Hadza community members Juma, Imma, Regina, Pili, Bagayo among others who are working hard to ensure that this impact campaign is robust, innovative and most importantly Hadza-led. We are also grateful to FIFDH Geneva for giving us this platform, Storyboard Collective for believing in our ideas, the pitch audience that was very supportive, Director/Producer @jiganatra and Producer @nat.humphreys of @storyboardtvuk for making this incredible film! Also our impact partners @afrisos for the work on the Hadza Media Center and digital storytelling workshops. To more growth and continued momentum for this unique and special project Children Of Honey! #impact #impactcampaign #filmimpact #thinkimpact #documentaryimpact #documentary #hadza #hadzabe #tanzania #language #endangeredlanguages