'The Herds' raises awareness about climate crisis through moving theater performance
- A moving theater performance called 'The Herds' began in Kinshasa, Congo, featuring cardboard puppet animals.
- The project aims to shed light on the climate crisis as these animals flee global warming impacts.
- The performance highlights the urgent need to protect the Congo rainforest, which has received less global attention.
In Kinshasa, Congo, a striking theatrical performance began with a troupe of cardboard animals, including monkeys, a gorilla, leopards, and a giraffe, as part of a project titled 'The Herds.' This performance aims to bring attention to the climate crisis while depicting the plight of these animals fleeing from their natural habitats due to global warming. As the puppeteers, donning black attire, moved the cardboard figures through the Kinshasa Botanical Garden, they highlighted the real-world impact of climate change, with floodwaters from massive flooding earlier this week still evident in the area. The show marks the first step of a journey that will take these puppet animals from the Democratic Republic of Congo to the Arctic Circle, stopping in various cities along the way to raise awareness about the climate crisis. The organizers of 'The Herds' emphasize the importance of starting in Congo due to the country's status as home to the second largest rainforest globally, which serves as one of the planet's vital 'lungs.' Despite the significance of the location, there has been comparatively less global focus on the challenges facing the Congo Basin than on other rainforests. Congolese filmmaker and producer Tshoper Kabambi has stated that a primary objective of 'The Herds' is to highlight the neglect of nature by humanity, connecting the performance to both local and worldwide issues of climate change, deforestation, and more. The event also attracts several Congolese artists and will eventually see participation from different cultures as the project progresses further north. The performance was initially set to host a main event in Kinshasa's central area; however, heavy rainfall led to its cancellation. The project takes inspiration from 'The Walk,' a previous initiative focused on drawing attention to the refugee crisis by traveling through multiple countries, emphasizing the collaborative spirit and outreach of global narratives concerning displacement, whether from climate change or conflict.