contributed by: Wendy Baker
Ontario, Canada
This participation story is a very abbreviated and incomplete
version of what has really happened in Africa over many
centuries. Nevertheless, it gives a dramatic example of
the effect of man, industrialization and weather changes on an
indigenous animal kingdom.
ALL PLAYERS:
Africa - drums (on ground)
Drought - tongues flapping
Fire - wave hands above heads for flames
Rain - swoosh, swoosh
Individuals or Small Groups
Lions - roar
Elephants - trumpet
Birds, bugs and little animals - squeak, zzzzz, whistle
Fish - fins swimming, silent mouthing
Vultures - caw, caw (shrill)
Hunters - bang, bang (gun)
Woodmen - axes chopping
Organize the groups or individuals who will do the sounds. Have
everyone practise. Then practise the sounds for "all players".
Explain that you will be reading a story, and when you mention
their special word, you will pause and they come in with their
sound.
Once upon a time, in Africa, the lion was king of the jungle,
and the elephant was king of the grassland. The lion and his
family (called a pride) roamed all over the jungle, and the
elephants with their enormous herds, roamed all over the
grassland. The native people, who lived in Africa, in their mud
or grass huts, respected king lion and king elephant. In fact,
they were a little bit afraid of them! In the jungles of Africa
there were millions of birds, bugs and little animals. In the
waterholes all over Africa were many fish. Vultures flew
overhead always looking for dead creatures to feed on. Then men
came from Europe and they looked for jewels and minerals to make
them rich. Hunters came and killed lions because they were
ferocious, and elephants because their tusks were valuable as
ivory. The vultures feasted on the dead bodies of the elephants
and lions. Woodmen came and cut down the trees in the jungles,
because the wood made valuable furniture for rich European
homes. Then the birds, bugs and little animals had nowhere to
live. Then came the drought, and the waterholes dried up and
the fish died. The vultures were kept very busy eating all the
dead bodies. The native people were starving. Careless hunters
and woodmen dropped matches and the dry jungles and dry
grasslands were destroyed by fire. Where could the lions,
elephants, fish, birds, bugs and little animals live? It was
decided to set aside special wildlife parks where all of the
endangered animals could live and be protected. Soon the rains
came and the land was beautiful again.
But, don't you think is sad that wonderful, wild animals such as
the lion, elephant, fish, birds, bugs and little animals have to
be protected in their own country?