The Dawn Project Pleas for Mother Nature

“Echoes of what once was; Whispers of the way it should be...” the voices of Mr. Desmond Majekodunmi, the Founder of LUFASI Nature Park, and Mr. Stanley Evans, an actor and environmentalist, reverberated through the air in a dramatic recital of “A Plea”, a poem written by Pamela Ajayi. It was a press briefing to launch a Competition on climate change based on the poem – A Plea and initiated by The Dawn Project recently in Lagos.

Mr. Majekodunmi, insisted that man has been perpetrating the act of terrorism against nature for far too long and hopes that the Dawn Project using art for advocacy will help raise the awareness level among Nigerians. “The specific one we are focusing on was written some years back by a very accomplished medical doctor and I must say she has prophetic propensity.” According to him, “A Plea” by Pamela Ajayi, captures the essence of what he calls “Creation Care”, a consciousness awakener to restore mother Earth to its former splendour.

On his part, Mr. Stanley Evans interpreted the Poem – A Plea, by Pamela – as a perfect description of the fragility of the earth and how human kind keeps using up (and abusing) its resources. “It’s about how the earth is dying; it’s about how the earth is being treated by us”. He believes that if mankind harkens unto the plea made in “A Plea”, the health of the earth can indeed be restored.

Speaking at the press briefing, the author of the poem, Dr. Pamela Ajayi, described The Dawn Project simply, as creating the dawn of a new consciousness about the environment reiterating that there is a direct relationship between the health of the nation and the global climate change. “With the global coronavirus pandemic, the lockdowns around the world there has been a renewal. . Reports from Wuhan said it’s the first time that they are seeing blue skies in a long time. Italy, reports that they have never seen the canals so clear, with abundant fish and dolphins seen in the waters of Venice and it is like a rejuvenation of the planet. It shows that there is a huge relationship between our health and the health of the planet.”

The Dawn Project officially commenced a competition on the 21st of March – UN Poetry Day which ends on the 22nd of April, UN Mother Earth Day and The winners of the competition will be announced on the 5th of June, 2020, UN Environmental Day.

To participate, Individuals are to interpret the poem and come up with creative insights and solutions to the issues at stake. There is over N500,000 to be won amongst the best interpretations,  a grand prize of N200,000 for the 1st placed winner, N100,000 for 2nd and N50,000 for 3rd with 5 consolation prizes of N20,000 each. There would also be cash and other prizes in the two student categories of 7-14 and 15-18. A special prize of N100,000 would be also be given to the winner of Creative Design.

Dr. Ama, Mrs. Angela Olufunmilayo Emuwa, Ms. Abimbola Sotuminu, and Mr. Seleem Adegunwa are the other collaborators on The Dawn Project, a group that aims to raise greater awareness, advocacy and education amongst citizens with a unique approach to the climate crisis as proposed in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Nos. 13 - Take Urgent Action to Combat Climate Change. The competition requires participants to send in entries through the adoption of Art (spoken, written, musical, visual and/or movement) as a means of expressing the issues and seeking creative solutions through their website dawnproject.net.