How is the weather, Bulawayo?

Mbulelo Mpofu

Radio stations serve as a public information highway, and on Monday, the Zimbabwe Music Academy in Bulawayo was home to the meteorologically oriented radio station HITW 100.6 FM.

“Radio presenters”, Inkululeko Yabatsha School of Arts (Iyasa)’s Nqobizitha Ncube, and Dorcas Ngwenya were on air to answer the question, “How is the weather?” At the other end, their German equivalents from Theatre Strahl, Natascha Manthe, and Justus Verdenhalven were also broadcasting.

The quartet on stage took the audience down a path of self-introspection with regard to climate change which, according to the United Nations (UN) is “the significant variation of average weather conditions becoming, for example, warmer, wetter, or drier—over several decades or longer. It is the longer-term trend that differentiates climate change from natural weather variability.”

The play titled “How is the weather?” highlighted human actions that contribute to climate change, ozone layer loss, and the gradual, but steady destruction of life on earth.

It brought together theatre and visions from Zimbabwe and Germany and probed on how relevant authorities can curb climate change. It delved into the importance of nature preservation which has a bearing on posterity and the survival of the earth.

At the end of the play, the twin radio stations in Bulawayo and Berlin collapse due to adverse weather which causes power outages and extreme heat.

The play mirrored the late king of pop, Michael Jackson’s “Earth Song” which was released in 1995 when climate change issues were not at their peak.

Dube challenged the schools to work on plays involving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and stand a chance to have their students taken overseas for learning.

“Last year, we were able to help five students fly overseas as a way of honing their theatrical skills. We urge schools to come up with plays that border around 17 SDGs, which are an urgent call for action by all countries. These plays can be on any SDG and the one we feel like has the potential to be a hit will be selected and given a chance to be staged overseas,” said Dube.

The play will be staged in Harare on Wednesday and then in Berlin on a date to be announced. – @MbuleloMpofu