CHIMPANZEE CONSERVATION ADOPTED FOR THEATRE

BY BAMUTURAKI MUSINGUZI

THE LEADING stand-up comedians, Theatre Factory Uganda and the Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation Trust (CSWCT) have launched ‘Laugh with a Chimp’ night at the National Theatre in Kampala to enlighten the masses on the plight of the chimpanzees through art.

In a skit titled, ‘Joseph the Chimpanzee’ performed on August 11, 2011, during Theatre Factory’s weekly comedy nite show at the National Theatre revolves around the predicament of a stranded uncle and his nephew, and a Nigerian tourist interested in seeing chimps.

The school boy gets his holidays. The uncle comes to pick him from school. They decide to pass by the bar and have a drink. They end up spending all the money and they are left with none for their transport from Jinja to Kampala. They come across a tourist who wants to see chimpanzees, and willing to offer any amount of money. The uncle comes up with idea of wearing the chimp costume that saves their situation.

The Nigerian tourist, who is initially glad to see the chimp that walks with a swagger and pulls b-boy (break-boy) stokes is later disappointed to hear the ape talk like a human being and walks away in protest. This results from the attempt by the uncle to walk away with the money the tourist has paid without sharing it with his nephew.

The night had twelve skits that included: ‘Hamisi and the Jinja Shift,’ ‘My elderly chic,’ ‘Soccer mum,’ ‘Annie’s under wear,’ ‘Mama mboga’s house help’ and ‘Urinary track,’ among others.

“Each year, Theatre Factory sets out to get involved in at least one social cause. We dedicated 2009 and 2010 to working with the Uganda Prison Service under the ‘Laugh for Life Project’ that focused on taking laughter and positive encouragement to Luzira Upper Prisons in Kampala,” the Theatre Factory Uganda director, Philip Luswata said.

“This year we felt the need to recognise the enormous strides that CSWCT is taking to conserve the Chimpanzee. We believe that our involvement with them will throw more light on this cause and encourage more Ugandans to make an effort to conserve their environment on one way or the other,” Luswata added.

“We hope to engage the masses in chimpanzee conservation programmes as we promote art at same time,” the CSWCT business development director, Ivan Kakooza said.

“Ugandans have long been known to have performance art through music, dance and drama as part of their livelihoods. You do not need wait for an occasion for our people to enjoy a good performance. This is what we are tapping into again,” Luswata said.

“Comedy is a fun, hip way of communicating some serious issues. I think the problem in the past has been that many advocates focus on delivering urgent messages in an uncool way. We have had a lot of tragedies that it all begins to sound like one swansong. We feel that comedy provides an avenue to not only educate, but also deliver these urgent messages in a uniquely funny way that people can carry in their hearts. It is easier to act upon something that brings you joy, than an item that brings you sadness,” Luswata observes.

Luswata has also been involved with the ‘Makutano Junction’ television series showing on citizen television in Kenya and NTV Uganda.

“For the next one year, we have decided to commit a percentage of our gate collections at our comedy nite performance that happens every Thursday at the National Theatre in Kampala to a chimpanzee we are adopting. These proceeds will go to its welfare and in a little way to basic overheads. So when you buy a ticket at each comedy nite show, you are donating to the Ngamba project,” Theatre Factory’s administrative director, Julius Lugaaya said.

“We are creating a video blog for the chimp we adopt as part of creating more awareness and crafting the message of conservation into our weekly comedy performances. There will also be a donation box set up at the National Theatre were a special donation can be made at any time of the day. None of these funds go to Theatre Factory operations. All donations collected in the donation box will be handed over to CSWCT every end of the month. Conserving our environment can be simple and fun,” Lugaaya added.

Theatre Factory Uganda started in 2003 is an independent theatre company whose principal task is to use arts in development projects there by equipping people with skills which increase their capacity for advocacy and participation in development of their own communities. They produced a DVD titled "Knock Yourself Out (2008),” showcasing their works.” Their television series, “Barbed Wire” currently in the fourth season on UBC Television also showed on NTV Uganda in 2009.

The CSWCT established in October 1998 cares for over forty orphaned rescued chimpanzees, by providing a sanctuary at Ngamba Island, Lake Victoria; promoting conservation education, public awareness, habitat restoration and improving livelihoods of local communities living alongside chimpanzee populations.

In June 2010, the nations of East and Central Africa developed a 10-year plan to save the eastern chimpanzee from hunting, habitat loss, disease, the capture of infants for the pet trade and other threats.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), 96% of known populations of eastern chimpanzees, that’s an estimated 50,000 individuals, could be protected with a new action plan, which puts stamping out illegal hunting and trafficking as key to saving one of man’s closest relatives.

The eastern chimpanzee is currently classified as Endangered on IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species, and lives in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and Zambia. Eastern chimpanzees share an estimated 98% of genes with Homo sapiens and are among the best studied of the great apes.

“Eastern Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii): Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan: 2010-2020,” calls for the conservation of 16 areas, which if protected would conserve 96% of the known populations of eastern chimpanzees, estimated to be around 50,000. However, the total number could be as high as 200,000, almost double the estimates that have been made previously.

Ends.