These are the simple but profound messages of several primary school learners who were part of our ‘Save the Birds’ game at Princess Vlei. Not yet in their teens, but these youngsters show more wisdom than many of our most powerful global leaders.
Forty-five learners, from Hillwood, Buck Road and Muhammadeyah Primary Schools, took part in the imaginative game, where they were 'time-travellers' from 200 years in the future, from a world where birds had been driven to extinction. Their task was to find out about birds: what they needed, what threatened them, and how to protect them to ensure that they did not go extinct.
The Supreme Time Lord (Brendan Bussy) explained that to the learners that they had travelled from a world where everything was different, and Princess Vlei was just concrete with no birds, insects or plants. He explained also that humans were cyborgs, and could not longer talk so they had to find other ways of communicating. Their important mission was to discover everything they could about birds, and to craft messages for the people of 2022 to ensure that there were still birds in 2222.
He warned them that they had to come running back to the time travelling ship when they heard the siren (a vuvuzela) as if they didn’t get through the time portal before it closed, they would be stuck in 2022
This exciting game, sustained by Brendon’s zany imagination and role playing abilities, is a wonderful way to help children think about the consequences of today’s actions for the future, and to realise that can play an important role in creating a future where nature and humans can flourish.
Below are some of the observations made by our keen-eyed time travellers.