Ndlelende Ncube
Ndlelende Ncube is an animal advocate in Zimbabwe who received a grant on behalf of Forum Theatre, which seeks to bring together rural communities living in and around Hwange National Park, the largest park in Zimbabwe, to take an active part in anti-poaching and reduce human wildlife conflicts. The grant was used for “Conservation through Forum Theatre” and helped develop theater performances for five rural communities living in and around the Park, especially young adult men. Ndelende writes:
Poaching and human wildlife conflicts have been a course of concern in Zimbabwe. The rampant illegal killing of big game is threatening the survival of several species; and wildlife crime is on the rise due to an increased demand for illegally acquired ivory. Forum Theatre has identified problems and solutions for communities sharing borders with wildlife.
Forum Theatre was able to use the grant to educate and ignite conversation around the villages on ways to stop poaching, and a variety of opportunities resulted from their work, including opportunities to work with other organizations in their district to create performances about wildlife protection and educating the community. Forum Theatre also saw a shift in the conversations regarding wildlife, and the group is now working on digitizing its work in order to expand the audience, continue to be dedicated to educating their community, and promoting a vegan lifestyle.