In CAR, plays are a serious business. By acting out everyday scenarios and relatable situations, Youth Clubs supported by the Chinko Conservation Area are connecting with their communities.
The power of storytelling
Young people living in towns and villages around Chinko Conservation Area (CCA), in the eastern part of Central African Republic (CAR), are finding innovative ways to connect across communities that are underserved by TV and Internet. At the heart of this movement are the Youth Clubs, also known as Environmental Education Clubs.
Supported by the Chinko Conservation Area with equipment and guidance from Chinko’s facilitators and local teachers, these Youth Clubs promote environmental education, dialogue, and entertainment within local communities. Since 2023, their number has grown to eight. They are based in the towns of Rafaï, Bakouma, and Bangassou, on the southern and western edges of the CCA, and currently bring together more than 170 students aged 14 to 20.
The club members write and perform scenes inspired by local realities. Using borrowed clothes from home and turning cardboard, tape, rope, and imagination into real magic, they transform themselves into a wide range of familiar characters, from farmers, poachers and transhumant herders to Chinko’s rangers and Tangos (sensitisation agents working with nomadic communities). In doing so, they are not only holding up a mirror to their communities but also sharing important conservation messages through the universal language of drama, plus plenty of humour.
"I am happy to have participated in the plays to raise awareness. It is important to conserve Chinko's species for future generations.” Jephté, 17, a member of the Youth Club at Bakouma Public High School
As future community leaders and spokespeople for their generation, the members of the Youth Clubs arecreating opportunities for people to come together and discuss topics that touch everyone’s lives.
The students work together with environmental educators from CCA to develop new plays, and also organise competitions and other activities that combine entertainment with educational messages.
"By involving them from an early age, children develop the necessary foundations to convey conservation messages in their family and school environments and become true agents of change." Mermoz Bizon, Community Development Manager at the ACC and one of the promoters of this initiative.
As members of their communities, the Youth Clubs have an instinctive understanding of local livelihood challenges; equally, through their involvement in environmental education, they are more aware of potentially negative practices that could bring short-term gain at the expense of undermining ecosystem integrity in the longer term.
“We’re raising awareness because using chemicals for fishing endangers both our environment and our future.” Jennifer Kossangaté, a member of the Rafaï Modern High School Club
Taking to the airwaves
While the street plays regularly reach audiences of up to 150 people, the Chinko Youth Clubs wanted to find a way to engage people living in more remote areas, who may well not be in town during the performances.
Through collaborations with local radio stations (Annissa, broadcasting from the town of Rafaï and Lengo ti Mbomou in Bangassou), the Chinko Youth Clubs are able to reach a much wider audience. At the same time, the students learn technical broadcasting skills to add to their undoubted theatrical talents.
The success of the Chinko Youth Clubs in uniting, inspiring and connecting with their communities has led to CCA looking to recruit environmental education facilitators in additional towns, so that this model can be replicated elsewhere.
Transformative outcomes
The excellent work being done by the existing Chinko Youth Clubs, on the ground and on air, is contributing to the sustainable protection of the CCA landscape through the integration of science, conservation, and active community participation.
By tapping into young people’s energy, enthusiasm and empathy, the Chinko Youth Clubs are contributing to the empowerment of young community members, transforming them into crucial advocates for protecting landscapes and promoting sustainable livelihoods.
Their low-tech but very human approach shows the impact that can be achieved when people are given a voice and are empowered to act as conservation champions.