Jungle Theatre Company - educational interactive environmental

Phase 1:

Kiss Waste Goodbye began July 2008 with the selection of schools that serve Ward 64 residents to take part in the project and the design concepts of puppets to be created from waste products. With project funding secured for phase one, an interactive introduction about rethinking waste was held in August for Grade 4 learners at Muizenberg Junior, Levana Primary and Zerilda Park Primary to kick start collections household waste for craft material.

Nkosinathi Dolomba, Mfundo Hashe, Nimray Kruger and Nelson Musonda

Partnering with Kommetjie Environmental Awareness Group (KEAG) an organisation that has particular expertise in environmental issues and making products from waste, JTC is working with Grade 4s during October and November 2008 with each school receiving four workshops facilitated by KEAG for building a large puppet.

Melani van Niekerk educator at Muizenberg Junior said: “We are all very grateful for the effort they are putting into the project. The learners are enjoying it and the experience is awesome. As an educator I am very pleased with the work that the learners are doing.”

This project was sucesfully extended and developed into the Pick Up Litter Parade where JTC and KEAG (Kommetjie Environmental Awareness Group) conducted an anti –litter, street theatre, beachfront clean-up.

Phase 2:

Pick Up Litter Parade

Jungle Theatre Company organised a highly successful Pick Up Litter Parade, a gathering in December 2008 during the summer festive season. JTC and KEAG (Kommetjie Environmental Awareness Group) conducted an anti –litter street theatre on the beachfront areas to the mouth of Zandvlei with the large puppets. Grade 4 Learners from the three schools and other local interest and cause groups were invited to participate in the event.

Learners from each school showcased their large puppets in the beachfront areas of Muizenberg and Zandvlei. The Pick Up Litter Parade will motivate the public to pick up litter and put it into bins and bags, as part of interactive entertainment with puppets and musicians.

JTC envisages this event will trigger a progressive change of attitude and effect positive action by beach users so that beach cleaning efforts do not begin from the same starting point each year and that year on year the scale of cleansing operations is reduced by people’s own responsibility for their litter.

“There is definitely not a shortage of dustbins on beaches; it’s just that people are not using them” said the Vodacom spokesperson

Phase 3:

Creation and showcase of the Kiss Waste Goodbye plays with primary school learners

Jungle Theatre Company will create three physical theatre scenes of approximately 15 minutes on the concepts: “Reduce” “Reuse” and “Recycle”. Each scene will use one of the puppets.

Returning to the three schools Levana Primary; Zerilda Park Primary and Muizenberg Junior, JTC will develop each scene that has an emphasis on movement, dance and music with the learners.

Drama and dance workshops will be conducted at each school to develop the scenes for a performance.

The three schools will come together at a central venue in Muizenberg, for example the Pavilion, and rehearse the scenes together for a showcase of the play.

The play will then be performed for families, teachers and school peers thus enabling the learners to educate their communities and neighbouring communities about the impact of waste on environmental health and their own health and how they can reduce waste in their daily lives. Local dignitaries and representative from interested cause groups will be invited as well. Schools that do not have recycling facilities will be assisted by JTC with setting up the facilities.

Pick Up Litter Parade 2009/10

Building on the parade that has taken place in 2008, Jungle Theatre Company will increase awareness and public participation in clean up operations by holding 5 Pick Up Litter Parades throughout the festive season. Using a parade with puppets, puppeteers, costumes, musicians, drummers will take the chore out of picking up litter and disposing of waste in dustbins and encourage beach goers to have fun while putting litter in the right places. Developing a culture of public cleanliness and recycling.

The ongoing benefits of engaging beach users to take responsibility for their own waste include:

A ‘spotless and safe playground’ for public and tourists alike.
Tackling the huge cost of clearing litter during the festive season, which City of Cape Town spent R17 million on in 2007/08 through education.
Continued change within own local communities through the understanding negative impact of litter.
Reduction of waste including visible waste through recycling schemes.
New avenues for schools to generate income through recycling schemes.
Healthier aquatic and urban environments and wildlife.
An attitude of cleanliness and responsibility for litter that is carried through to the FIFA World Cup events and passed on to tourists visiting during the tournament.

Future project development

Kiss Waste Goodbye has the capacity to be rolled out to other Wards in Cape Town, particularly those that suffer the impact of waste through increased tourism during the December holidays.
The street theatre parade as an interactive educational tool, can be utilised in many different circumstances and venues for example: blue flag beaches, World Cup 2010 fan sites, family festivals and carnivals.
The workshop facilitation and showcase can be rolled out to schools in different suburbs uniting diverse communities to tackle waste and environmental health
The project can be scaled up by creating further puppets from waste enabling the facilitation of the puppet making workshops, street theatre parade, drama dance and movement workshops.

By partnering with KEAG and linking up with other local interest groups for example: Zandvlei Trust; Muizenberg Improvement District among others, JTC aim to create pertinent and relevant theatre piece with local learners focussing on the rubbish in our streets, rivers, sea and environment. We will work closely with cause groups and service providers to make the information as relevant and topical as is possible, distributing literature and information about local initiatives to reduce waste and litter.