Speech given on the occasion of the showing of the production ‘Song of the Carnivores’, City Hall, Bulawayo
By David Coltart
21 September 2012
Allow me to first of all express my gratitude in being invited to be the guest of honour at this occasion of the showcase of the production of the Song of the Carnivore. It gives me great joy and pleasure to be in the City of Kings, my home city, and indeed in my own constituency, Khumalo.
Bulawayo is a city endowed with vast artistic talent that needs to be publicized and nurtured. The City of Bulawayo has a rich cultural mosaic and is renowned for its humility and humbleness. I have seen the arts sector in Bulawayo evolve over the years and I must say that the future indeed looks bright.
The Intwasa Arts Festival is the biggest festival in South Western Zimbabwe and thus plays a central role in the development of the arts in general. Young artists who want to attain international stardom should use Intwasa to expose their talent. It is in this regard that I wish to commend the efforts of our co-operating partners, particularly the British Council, who have over the years invested thousands of dollars towards the arts sector in Zimbabwe. I say to British Council and other like minded institutions, please keep up the good work that you are doing, your benevolence is noted and appreciated.
I note that this year’s edition of the Intwasa festival has expanded its scope to as many arts genres as possible. This is indeed commendable as it enables more and more artists to participate and equally attract the much needed audience base that is critical for the sustainability of any artistic endeavour.
Similarly, the participation of many schools in this year’s festival is also commendable as the arts are a popular information dissemination strategy. The arts are popular among students as they are somewhat informal, entertaining and mind engaging.
The Song of the Carnivore project is an example of how important education is to the environment and future protection of our natural resources. Being able to work with children in a structured school environment has led to an appreciation of the need to conserve the various elements of the environment so as not to interrupt the ecosystem. The environment is the most important source of our livelihoods. As individuals we have an obligation to the environment, our failure to exploit nature in a sustainable manner will constrict the human race to demise.
Zimbabwe’s environment is under serious threat. Much of our wildlife has been poached out in the last 12 years. Our rhino population is under serious threat. Trees are being cut down at an unprecedented rate. Our hardwood forests are under threat because of corruption and unchecked logging. Bush fires rage countrywide. Gold panners are destroying our river systems. If we do not influence this coming generation to protect the environment, our beautiful Zimbabwe will be destroyed and transformed into a desert.
The quest for environmentalism in Zimbabwe gained prominence in the early 1990s and it is exciting that this theme is now appearing in the domain of the arts. This is indeed a breath of fresh air.
I am informed that the Song of the Carnivore project has seen over 80 schools in the Bulawayo Province participate since the beginning of the project. Arts genres covered under the project include music, art and poetry. Over 70 of the schools participated in a lecture series programme where field experts were brought to Bulawayo to share their knowledge and experience about wildlife.
The Song of the Carnivore project is an example of how cross-sector collaboration can be successful in using resources effectively, and working to educate not just school children, but their teachers and their parents.
I also wish to take this opportunity to commend the hard work of all the teachers who have helped the children during the tenure of this project. Dedicated teachers are vital to education, without them it does not matter how much resources we avail to schools, it is the quality of learning that matters at the end of the day. I wish to profoundly thank all teachers involved in this project for their hard work and encourage them to keep advancing the ideals of the project.
As we all celebrate the triumph of the Song of the Carnivore Project, let us all spare a thought for those children who are not able to go to school for one reason or the other and are thus missing out on the subject of conservation and many other benefits of formal education. Let us all put our heads together and ensure that those children who are not part of mainstream society also benefit from our various arts programmes. It is then and only then, that I will be able to say that as authorities in education and the arts we have done our job.
Allow me ladies and gentlemen to conclude by once again thanking all the stakeholders involved in this project, particularly the British Council, Alliance Francais and Zoological Society of London as well other sponsors and partners for supporting this initiative.
I thank you!