Whatshot
Hearts and minds messages from children of Africa
Hearts and minds messages from children of Africa
School children, living close to areas of Rhino protection and in urban areas, are given art materials and a blank A3 paper, with an outline of a Rhino. Their challenge is to colour in the Rhino, write a message about whatever they think about the Rhino crisis and fill the page with Rhino Art. It's a great research project, with messages that read.
15 Year old Affection Sibiyi writes: 'Poaching Rhino horn is wrong - it kills or makes the rhino to suffer - if we poach horn we hurt it - Stop it!'
Jessica Jiyane, age 11, writes: 'Rhinos are vulnerable species that needs every South African citizen to value and respect them If government is not assisting enough to take care of the Rhinos, our future generation will be deprived. I call upon all South Africans to stand against Rhino poaching.' She gives the toll free police number 0860 12 13 14 and draws a poacher shooting a Rhino and a little girl with a sad face, trying to protect its horn.
Rhino Art gathered by volunteers from all over Southern Africa, will be handed over to Kingsley Holgate before world Rhino Day on the 22nd September. This messaged Rhino Art from Mozambique, Swaziland and from across South Africa will be showcased on World Rhino Day ,and be used as a further " Call to Action" in support of Rhino protection.
'To win this "Rhino War" we also need to get into the hearts and minds of the children, especially those living in communities close to wildlife sanctuaries,' adds Kingsley Holgate, 'and then the challenge will be to take these "Rhino Art " voices from the children of Africa to the rest of the world, especially the people of South East Asia, who are subverting our people with more money than they've ever dreamed of, to slaughter a species that's been with us for more than 50 million years, all in the useless belief that their horns are valuable traditional medicine. As a well-informed little artist writes: Let's all the children rather collect all our toe and finger nail clippings and send those to China!'
If you would like to be a part of this powerful Rhino Project please email Carla Geyser at [email protected]