When people ask me what the highlights of Tisamale Part 1 were, the first thing that springs to mind for me is the Environmental Campaign day. The MATZ crew (along with hundreds of local people from all over Mfuwe) had spent many early morning and late nights working on a giant 50m mural along the main roads of Mfuwe to advocate for keeping the local Luangwa River system free of the proposed dam.
Getting up before dawn on the day of the mural opening and campaign day, the MATZ crew spent the morning hauling buckets of water from a nearby well and water pump in order to wash the dust off the mural we had worked so hard on. Taking a step back and looking at the freshly washed mural that we had all worked so hard on was amazing. To see all that work pay off into a glorious mural was certainly one of the top highlights of the whole trip.
We met up with the march, that had started 3km from the mural site and walked back down the main road to the mural, dancing, singing, and waving signs the whole way. The chief gave a short speech about the importance of protecting the Luangwa River, before painting one final stencil onto the mural, and then cutting the ribbons to officially open it!
The march continued to a nearby village, where a rudimentary stage made from a truck bed had been set up. There was more singing and dancing, plays, speeches, poems, all about the importance of protecting the Luangwa. It was fantastic to see how many local people turned up to support the event. We had witnessed how hard the Conservation Club had worked to help organise this day – and had helped them create their posters and set up the giant marquee next to the stage, and it certainly paid off.
When we started work on the mural, I had no idea how big the campaign to prevent the Luangwa River dam was going to be. So suddenly realising that the issue was big enough to make the World Wildlife Fund declare it to be one of their main issues for 2018 was slightly overwhelming. But the work that everyone contributed paid off, resulting in an awesome mural, and an amazing day!
Mollie (MATZ Member)
