Madago Primary School, Diani Beach
June 24, 2009
Written by Jamie Yarger
The anthropology research team went to Madago Primary School in Diani Beach. We talked to two groups of children, one group who had not been to the Colobus Trust for an education day, and one group who had. We were questioning the children, ages 14 to 18, on their knowledge of the Colobus Trust, deforestation, beach conservation and the media sources they have access to and use on a regular basis. Through asking these questions we were able to learn a great amount from the children.
The children who had not been to the Colobus Trust in general knew about all the local area primates including: Vervet (Tumbili), Sykes (Kima), Baboon (Nyani) and Colobus (Mbega). They were able to describe what each primate looked like, and what they think of each. For example, Vervet and Baboon steal crops so they chase them away. While Sykes looks like a Vervet but does not steal crops. Colobus monkeys make them feel happy, they do not steal crops and they are very friendly. One child shared an interesting fact about these primates in this particular area. He said that Africans will chase primates away (any of the primates), while visitors (tourists, or foreigners) will give the primates food if they have any. The children also noted that since Colobus monkeys live in trees and not on the ground that if all the trees are cut down there will no longer be any Colobus monkeys. They seemed to know a great deal about conservation and that if you cut down a tree for whatever reason (build a house, fire wood, etc.) that you need to plant another tree for every one that is cut down. When this group of children was asked about beach conservation they understood that the beach needs to be cleaned to protect the marine life, but they did not know that taking shells from the beach was bad for the environment. They insisted that they should take shells in order to sell them to tourists so that they can make money to buy uniforms, books, and food. Finally, when asked about the media they are able to access, the majority of the students had mobile phones, or they had regular access to a mobile phone. As for television, only a few had a television at home, and then only had the basic free Kenyan channels. None of the students have a computer, but they do use the internet café on occasion although it is very expensive for them to use.
The children who have been to the Colobus trust were asked the same question in a separate group from those who had not been. These children were at the Colobus trust only a week before. These children knew about the same information about the local primates as previous group of children, just with slightly more detail. They also knew only slightly more about deforestation and again that if you cut down a tree you need to plant another one. Also that planting trees prevents soil erosion and trees are important because they collect rain. As for beach conservation, these children too believed that they must take the shells from the beach in order to sell to tourists and make money. When asked about the media they use again none of them had a computer at home and occasionally used an internet café. Six of the children had a radio at home, 16 did not, but all of them listen to the radio frequently. They tend to listen to reggae, R&B, American music, Mambo, and programs about Nature. About half of the children had mobile phone access outside of school. One child has a television at home; several children watch a television, again with basic channels. Two of the children read the newspaper, and none of the children take part in any sort of youth group.
Overall, we felt that the Colobus Trust has had an impact on the thoughts and knowledge of the children. The children that had been to the Trust tended to answer our questions about conservation and the local primates in more detail and more of the children were willing to respond when compared with the group of children who had not yet been.
