A group of learners decided to tackle environmental issues differently as compared to everyday protests and marches. A Grade 11 learner from Parktown High School for Girls, Anna Conradie with her classmate Raeesah Noor-Mahomed started an environmental awareness group called Artivists.
The two girls were joined by learners from other schools at their first performance in a public space in Rosebank. The piece was titled, Come for Dinner, and it definitely amassed differently reactions from patrons and passers-by.
According to Anna, they planned the particular event three weeks in advance and after a number of appeals finally got permission to put up their demonstration at a spot close to The Zone in Rosebank. “Come for Dinner demonstrates our current world where we eat plastic and the harmful impact of plastic. We want to discourage people from single-use plastic as this causes more harm.”
Adding on to that, Raeesah said she has cared about climate crisis for a long time and wanted to tackle this issue in a way that has never been done before.
“I realised that I’m good at drama and art so shouting and marching would irritate people. So, we wanted to intrigue people and get them interested and asking why we’re eating plastic.”
The learners had a properly decked table with a variety of plastic containers and could be seen slowly ‘eating’ dished plastic papers from their plates. While doing so, the learners had dark make-up on to illustrate the diminishing health in the body of an individual feeding on plastic.
Anna said plans for the future include poetry nights and other activities to fundraise money so that they can make bigger statements and build up their campaign. “In the future, we plan to tackle carbon pollutions, poaching and access to clean water.”
What other ways do you think people can be made aware of the dangers of single-use plastic? Share suggestions on twitter @RK_Gazette
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