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Another masterpiece

As per my usual custom, I always Versi’s column when my beloved New African makes its appearance. His piece, Symbols and rituals (October / November issue) was another masterpiece and its copy has already taken its place in my scrapbook where I collect all his columns.

There is a lot to pick and unpick in this piece, which is based on the funeral ceremony of the late Queen Elizabeth II. It is a brilliant exercise in observation and deduction – and speaks to us in Nigeria where funerals are a very important part of life and death (and very expensive!). My son and I will analyse this piece at leisure as it is our habit to do and it also helps him in his own writing ambition.

Let me just end with a quote from it:

“What I found most moving and thought-provoking was that here was a lady who had no political power, who led no armies into battle or countries out of crisis; who was not a writer or a poet or an inventor or healer yet, she ruled the hearts and minds of billions.

“Her power lay in what she symbolised – the better part of human nature.”

Well said, sir!

TAYO ADEBANJO Abeokuta, Nigeria

Save Tsavo National Park

The Tsavo National Park, a spectacular and majestic landscape is four hours’ drive from Kenya’s coastal city of Mombasa. It is a popular tourist destination frequented by visitors from around the world.

This park has Kenya’s most breathtaking natural landscape with a diversity of resident animals The Tsavo’s natural habitat and its biodiversity, with the thrilling beauty of lush green mountains and natural water streams cutting across the vast region is unmatched by any other game conservancy in Africa.

But unfortunately, as I discovered when I toured it a little while ago, the park is in a dire situation as a result of climate change, which has made rainfall unpredictable.

It is now impacting on the survival of the nation’s wonderful and precious wildlife in the game reserve. With the scarcity of rainfall, the greener areas of the reserve are now becoming invisible in the face of hot and humid weather.

And innocent wild animals are bearing the brunt. In the face of extreme hot weather, the animals are bearing a heavy burden in their search for scarce water and greener pastures for their daily nutrition.

Something must be done to save the wildlife from perishing in their desperate search for water and pasture.

The animals have not committed any sins. Why should they suffer the impacts of climate change, a human-induced scourge?.

This universe belongs in equal measure to all of us, and animals have every right to enjoy the freedom of getting enough water and food for their survival, in their own habitat without any human encroachment.

The park is an important contributor to Kenya’s GDP as it attracts tens of thousands of visitors but if the drought persists and the animals in the park continue to die than a wilderness.

This will be a massive blow to the country’s tourism industry but more importantly, it can lead to the permanent loss of one of nature’s wonders of the world and what should be a glorious heritage for our children and their children.

We need to make a collective cious gift to mankin d. KOKIL K. SHAH Mombasa, Kenya