CCB’s education team spent the 11th and 12th of March conducting art lessons focused on wildlife in Bere – a small village in a large wildlife corridor in the Ghanzi district. This wildlife corridor links the Kalahari Transfrontier Park and the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and it is important for the community of the village to be inspired and appreciate the wildlife they share land with. The purpose of the art project was to teach students basic art techniques as well as help them see and learn about wildlife, so that they can build love and respect for wildlife in a unique and fun way. Karrie Hovey, a professional artist and volunteer with CCB shared with the students a brief history of art in the region — most of which has been produced by the San through the Kuru Art Project in D’kar. The best drawings by students were re-drawn using a computer program to produce murals that were painted on the walls of the classrooms to remind the students every day of the beauty and importance of wildlife. In a celebration of the San tradition of tracking, the walkways of the school were covered with animal tracks painted in the colours of the Botswana flag to encourage pride in their natural heritage. The school community was thrilled when they saw the murals for the first time on their school walls and the animal tracks along the walkways. The school community is grateful to CCB for this activity and is excited about what CCB will do in their community in the future. We appreciate the support of the Bere community for letting us work with them on this project, especially Bere Primary School and the Village Development Committee for allowing us to camp in their grounds and use their facilities. We hope the artwork at the school will inspire everyone in the community to continue to care for wildlife in their area.
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