Kungoni echoes Pope’s concerns on ecosystem plunder

Kungoni echoes Pope’s concerns on ecosystem plunder

By Charles Mkoka

The 15th of August, 2015 will go into the annals of history as the days the Kungoni Arts Centre, based at Mua Parish in Dedza district took a cultural and religious approach and held a mass of stewardship of the universe. During the event the Catholic Church repeated the appeal made by Pope Francis in a letter addressed to its faithful which strongly condemned unsustainable resource degradation on the planet as human population increases.

The plunder of natural resources threatens food security by disturbing the hydrological cycle, nutrition through loss of edible wild fruits such as masuku rich in calcium and phosphorous, loss of botanical species of medicinal value and finally loss of the natural beauty.

The 184 page Rome letter raises concern on the scale of degradation humans are inflicting on the environment.  This was a catalyst for Kungoni artists led by Claude Bouacher locally known as (Achisale) to replicate the Pope theme to highlight the dangers of resource degradation to humans. Not surprising, that the Parish’s amphitheatre accommodated thousands of patrons who flocked to hilly terrain to see different traditional dances and plays from the cultural perspective that carried messages of conserving our environment.

Pope Francis letter on our common home

Pope Francis the head of the Roman Catholic concerned about the scale of degradation being inflicted on the environment globally in May authored a letter in which he highlighted the unsustainable practices being employed by mankind. In the words of this beautiful canticle, Saint Francis of Assisi reminds  the world of our common home which is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us.

The  sister the letter goes on to say  now cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed her. Pope Francis writes that we have come to see ourselves as her lords and masters, entitled to plunder her at will. The violence present in our hearts, wounded by sin, is also reflected in the symptoms of sickness evident in the soil, water, air and in all forms of life. The Pope also touched on biodiversity saying the earth’s resources are being plundered because of short-sighted approaches to the economy, commerce and production. The loss of forests and woodlands entails the loss of species which may constitute extremely important resources in future, not only for food but also for curing disease and other uses. Different species contain genes which could be key resources in years ahead for meeting human needs and regulating environmental problems.

 "It is not enough, however, to think of different species merely as potential “resources” to be exploited, while overlooking the fact that they have value in themselves. Each year sees the disappearance of thousands of plant and animal species which we will never know, which our children will never see, because they have been lost forever. The great majority become extinct for reasons related to human activity. Because of us, thousands of species will no longer give glory to God by their very existence, nor convey their message to us. We have no such right, “says the Pope in reference to loss of genetic diversity.
Pope Francis then made a strong appeal to protect our common home, a concern to bring the whole human family together to seek a sustainable and integral development, knowing it is possible things can change.

 Kungoni open mass on environment

In the wake of the Pope’s concerns on ecosystem degradation globally, Mua Parish in Dedza dedicated a mass to the course of environment conservation. This follows local challenges especially the short rainfall duration that saw crops withering due to inadequate water. According to agricultural experts the lack of adequate water has actually affected crop production. This has lead to speculations of possible food shortage, a development that has forced government to buy maize from neighbouring countries to avert a possible famine.

The mass was titled; (Kokotakokota mitengo yatha, mvula ndi madzi kwakwala, chauta akutituma kuti tisunge chilengedwe) translated as over utilization of trees, rain and water. God is sending us to conserve the environment.

The clergy told local and international patrons that human population is growing annually hence the need to strike a balance in sharing resources on earth such as wildlife, fish, birds and trees. As such there is a need to live in harmony of our dear Lord in heaven without competition and offending others.  They made emphasis to live amicably with nature though sometimes humans may not agree with why God created other forms of life.

“God give us everything so that we can name those living creatures, use them sustainably and managed them in a manner that they should be available for the next generation. This is because we exchange air between plants and animal said the theme said the leading Father,” said the visiting Father from Saint Francis Parish in Lilongwe during the mass
Speaking separately in an interview after the event Claude Bouacher who coordinates Kungoni Arts Centre clarified the synergy that is on culture, religion and environment. He said we need guidance of the past for us to progress and succeed into the future. He made reference as to why they use the chameleon in most of their plays and activities.

Bouacher said he uses the example of a typical reptile which camouflages itself as it moves, “A Chameleon has the ability to throw one leg forward and one eye backwards. We combine the past, present and future for us to succeed in life. Like a Chameleon culture is not static, it changes and there are important values that can be passed on by looking at what will survive. That is what we are doing here,” he explained making reference to the use of culture to propagate messages that will benefit the local populace in the conservation of the environment. Interestingly, the Ngoni dancers no longer use skin hides of wildlife but manmade fabric as part of their regalia.

Chiefs hail cultural initiative

Among the many notable local patrons that came to witness the occasion at Mua Parish were chiefs from the nearby Salima district led by Traditional Authority Kambwiri. The visit was facilitated by the Wildlife Action Group (WAG) which thought the event at Mua had a bearing on the management of 197 square kilometers of Thuma Forest declared as a reserve in 1926. The reserve shared by Dedza, Dowa, Lilongwe and Salima districts has experienced strained relations with surrounding communities especially because of marauding elephants that have terrorized peripheral communities’ crops and property.

Today elephant rampages are a thing of the past as the newly erected solar powered fence restricts movement of Jumbos out of the reserve. “We had an interesting function here at Mua Parish and if all chiefs were to emulate this example the gospel of sound environment management would spread far and wide,” observed T/A Kambwiri who led Group Village Headmen from Salima to the event.

Kambwiri was quick to offer free advice on changing the mindset in as far as tree planting, “We should encourage people to plant trees as families. This is because individual trees that we have been planting all those years have not proven to be effective. But those planted by families are taken care of because there is a sense of ownership in these trees. If all the chiefs practice this, it would really make a difference in conservation in the Malawi.”

WAG the local non- governmental organisation managing Thuma Forest Reserve invited Chiefs to appreciate the day and celebrations with the view that they would learn more about the importance of conserving forests. The chiefs said they really enjoyed and learnt a lot on the importance of tree and forest through songs, dances and plays during the visit.
Lynn Clifford, WAG Manager felt this was indeed a great experience and urged the use of culture to educate local population about forest conservation. “It was an enjoyable day to spend with our traditional chiefs and Group Village Headmen. This will strengthen our relationships at grassroots level to fight deforestation and associated wildlife related crimes.” Clifford a determined lady who defies gender said.

PS praises initiative

But what is the reaction of government and the Ministry of Information, Tourism and Culture in this local initiative? Elsie Tembo, Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Tourism and Culture who came to witness the event hailed Kungoni for using culture to spread the gospel of conservation. She said there were very strong linkages in the way culture; religion and conservation were factored in the theme.

“What is happening here need to be replicated elsewhere in the country. Conservation both natural environment as well as culture are quite relevant and key even if we talk about tourism. This is what makes a place, people and community unique from others. We therefore as a people must replicate this in the church, community and even in our towns so that we conserve the environment,” narrated Tembo on the sidelines of the event.

Joseph Moyo, song composer and singer said they thought of using traditional dancers to develop messages for the local populace to understand why environment conservation is an issue of global concerned as highlighted by the Pope in the letter.

“We have seen it with our naked eye, that the rains have been erratic this year largely because of the action of humans on the environment. No wonder we selected the Pope concerns on ecosystems as something to change the local populace mindset, “said the lead dancer while wearing the Ngoni fabric regalia that resembles the cats such as Leopards.