A programme that aims to ”plant” the ethics of conservation in the value system of teenagers has been launched in KZN, writes Niki Moore The sound of cicadas in the midday heat of the Umfolozi valley is deafening. Of course, if youre sitting in an air-conditioned office in Sandton, you wouldnt know that. You wouldnt know, either, just how good a cup of coffee and condensed milk tastes in the nippy air of an Umfolozi winter morning. And you wouldnt know the overwhelming experience of sitting alone at a small fire in the middle of the night with animal sounds all around you, the vast veld at your back and your comatose companions huddled in sleeping bags under the stars. There are several thousand people, however, who do. These are people who have done the Wilderness Trails with the Wilderness Leadership School, a non-profit organisation established by conservationist Dr Ian Player in 1963.
These trails were initially run in KwaZulu-Natals Umfolozi Park but the concept has been extended to several other game reserves. The idea is to teach people values based on an awareness of the ethics of nature. The trails take five days and the participants are not allowed to indulge in unnecessary chit-chat for two reasons firstly, loud badinage scares off the game and, secondly, talk is a distancing mechanism as it is difficult to appreciate the finer ironies of nature when youre absorbed in telling silly jokes.
And even if ”roughing it” does not appeal to you, and if you hate the idea
of sleeping among the creepy-crawlies and lugging your own food, it is impossible to remain unmoved by the immensity of the silence of the Umfolozi valley.
Now the Wilderness Trails have formed an off-shoot called, quite aptly, Imbewu or seed. The idea is to ”plant” the ethics of conservation in the value system of teenagers who would not necessarily have access to the wonders of the wilderness. With KZN Wildlife, the Wilderness Leadership School is sponsoring three-day trails for rural schoolchildren but with a crucial difference. Instead of these trails going out with a Wilderness School leader (usually a white person), the groups of youngsters are accompanied by ”wise men” retired black game rangers who excelled in their field and have a wealth of wisdom about game, culture and life. KZN Wildlifes Gladman Buthelezi is the man behind the concept in the Umfolozi Park. ”Trails are already being run in the Kruger and Tsitsikamma,” he says, ”but the Umfolozi trails are unique because they take place in the heartland of the Zulu tribe and therefore there is more of a stress on culture, history and values of the Zulu people. ”We are trying to bring back that ethic of conservation to our youngsters, who are, after all, our future leaders. And because we are using local wise men, who speak their language and understand their culture and who have been immersed in the wilderness all their lives, we are sure the message will go deep.”
Coordinator Mandla Buthelezi is responsible for recruiting the young people for the trail. ”I approach the schools around the park and ask the teachers to nominate people. We have a limit of 16 a group. These are broken down into two groups of eight this is the best number for a trail. Their food and blankets are sponsored by the Wilderness Leadership School and KZN Wildlife supply the wise men.” The meeting and sleeping place for the groups is a cluster of grass huts just inside the southern boundary of the Umfolozi Park. ”If you put a match to this place, within a week you would not know it had been there,” says Gladman Buthelezi, referring to the KZN Wildlife philosophy of completely unintrusive development in the park. ”It is made entirely of mud and grass. ”When the kids first arrive, they are quite tense. They dont know what to expect. But within a few hours they are completely at home and extremely keen to learn.” Their day starts at 6am with mealie-meal, bread and tea. Then one of the elders gives a lecture on cultural values, ethics of conservation and tradition. The children also learn about the area and their language. These lectures are unstructured. ”We feel it is more successful if the information is given in the form of story-telling.” Then its time for the walk. The youngsters head out in single file into the bush to look for animals, scat and tracks. Theyre back in time for lunch, which consists of putu, venison and whatever edible plants are available. ”Even the meals are part of their education,” says Gladman Buthelezi. ”While they are eating meat from an animal they may have seen on their walk, they are told about the uses of animals to man which are not always only as food.”
The Imbewu programme was officially launched on Friday, but has been unofficially under way for several months. About 130 youngsters have walked the trails and it is estimated that 700 can be accommodated a year. It is difficult to extend the concept, says Gladman Buthelezi, because the value of the experience lies in being part of a small group. ”We might be able to expand with day trips. But at the moment we are also limited to children who live near the park.” Once the project has reached maturity it might be possible to make the trails available to street children as part of a rehabilitation programme. Apart from anything else, it will teach them that there are other jungles apart from the concrete one.