The Golden Gate Special – Using Drama in Environmental Education

“Welcome to the Live studio of Wilgenhof at Golden Gate Highlands National Park! You are here today, because your school, Mariam College, have received free tickets to this awarding winning talk show – The Golden Gate Special. Our programme will start rolling in five minutes. As this is a Live recording, please kindly switch off all mobile and sound devices. Please also kindly refrain from talking to one another during the show. Are you ready?”

After addressing the audience, the host settled down in her chair, and her assistant, Nelly, helped to neaten her hair as camera man, Koketso, started to count down to the start of the show. “5, 4, 3, 2, 1...”

“Good Evening, and welcome to the Golden Gate Special! I am your host, Chi, and we are honoured to have the presence of Mariam College today as our audience. The focus topic for tonight is - The San People. We have several important guest speakers who would be sharing and discussing their knowledge about the different aspects of the San people. First up, we have Professor Kirsten and Professor Kaylee, anthropology experts from the University of Cambridge, who will share with us who exactly are the San people and how they look like.”

“Hi Chi, thanks for inviting us to your show. First, I would like to bring out my models to better explain who the San people are and how they differ from the Khoi Khois.... “

It was a wet-weather programme for Mariam College. It had been raining continuously Golden Gate for the past few nights, and they were not able to go on a night walk to Holkran's where they would learn more about the first inhabitants of the area – The San People. Prior to the start of the talk show, learners were divided into six different groups. Each group were given information from various articles concerning a specific topic and area of focus about the San people i.e. physical appearance, social structure, food & water, language & beliefs, culture & art and current challenges. The group then had to select two key guest speakers who would share information about what they have learnt. During their sharing, other team members were integrated as part of the show in many ways e.g. live models, acting in a “documentary video”, demonstration etc. Each team was then interviewed by the host and the audience. The host then showed the audience photographs and summarised key points to wrapped up the segment before introducing the next guests. The structure of the programme was modeled after famous talk shows like the Oprah Whitney Show and Dr Phil.

It was indeed an academy award winning show! Other than the first guest speakers who introduced the physical characteristics of the San people with the help of models, “professors from the University of Reitz” also shared the social structure of the San people through a “documentary video”. “Language experts” taught the audience how to pronounce the different clicks “!”, “/”, “//” and “=” of the San language. A “team from National Geography” shared how the San people hunt for food and how they obtained water. “People & Conservation officers” also shared the culture and beliefs of the San people, with particular focus on rock art. “Representatives from UN” also generated a discussion on the fate of the San in modern society, with particular interest in the current San community who is facing oppression in Botswana.

Through the various presentations from their peers, and with the questions and further inputs from the host to fill up the content gaps, learners from Mariam College were able to learn about the San in a much more fun and engaging way! Let us continue to try and think of creative ways in which we can engaged our learners in environmental learning!