Shangano Arts on animal rights campaign

SHANGANO Arts Trust has signed a memorandum of understanding with Speak Out For Animals, who advocate for animal rights, as part of efforts to defend animal rights through art.

The trust uses arts to engage people for social change and sustainable community development, training and performances.

It has been partnering with various organisations where drama and poetry have been used to raise awareness against wildlife crimes in Hwange.

In an interview with NewsDay Life & Style, Speak Out For Animals executive director Ever Vimbai Chinoda said the partnership would simplify wildlife laws to communities.

“We really value the relationship with Shangano Arts Trust because we are educators, we are informers. We have been raising legal awareness to prosecutors, magistrates, investigating officers and law officers and have not done much to communicate with the communities at large,” she said.

“Communities are the custodians of wildlife, they cohabit with wildlife and it is important that they know the laws that exist with regards to wildlife. It is our hope that through the partnership we will be able to deter them from poaching and committing any wildlife offences as a result of ignorance.”

Shangano Arts director Petros Ndhlovu said they were happy to collaborate with Speak Out For Animals who were doing outstanding work on wildlife and natural resources.

“Our duty as the trust is to develop arts content, scripts, direct plays that are meant to raise awareness, educate and inform communities on wildlife law and crime, and also to facilitate community performances and dialogues,” he said.

“We will also assist in the translation of information education and communication on material like pamphlets and posters into local languages such as Nambya, Tonga, Ndebele, Shona and Nyanja.