30 AUGUST / 2024 / 14:30
As part of the "Year of Solidarity for a Green World" initiative, a theatrical performance has been launched in the Baku Metro to support COP29. This performance, titled "Let’s Think About Nature as it Thinks of Us," was the first in a series of literary-artistic events. The project involved the participation of children and teenagers from the families of metro workers. The main aim of this educational initiative is to raise public awareness about environmental cleanliness, nature conservation, and encourage active contributions towards a greener world.
The play consists of six different scenes, each addressing well-known but often overlooked environmental issues, presented through facts and figures. Named after a couplet from a famous poem by Hüseyn Arif dedicated to nature, the play begins with musical accompaniment and video footage showcasing the beauty of Azerbaijani landscapes. This opening is followed by a renowned speech by the National Leader Heydar Aliyev on the importance of tree conservation.
In the scene titled "The Trees’ Conversation," supported by Nursery No. 192, 10 children dressed in special costumes symbolise the forest. During a conversation between two teenagers and the children, the trees describe their benefits to humanity, using facts and figures to explain how they produce oxygen, absorb carbon dioxide and radiation, and contribute to the preservation of the natural environment.
The performance’s recurring theme, "Let’s think about nature as it thinks of us," is sung by all the children in a chorus at the end of each scene. One of the children performs the song "Nature," written by Musa Mirzayev in 1956, symbolising the connection between a child’s joy and nature.
In the scene titled "What We Overlook," commonly known but often ignored environmental facts are highlighted through sounds from the forest. In another scene, "Do Not Destroy, Protect," set against the backdrop of a metro station, a teenager throws a plastic bottle on the ground, prompting three children to object. Four children then engage in a meaningful discussion about the dangers of littering and the harmful impact of plastic waste on the environment.
The scene "My Dad Says..." features children of metro employees sharing environmental statistics related to transport pollution, as discussed by their parents. They also emphasise the ecological benefits of the metro as a mode of transport and the importance of tree-planting, battery collection, and water conservation initiatives carried out by metro employees.
In the final scene, "If We Don’t Protect Nature...," the children recite poems by Hüseyn Arif that call attention to ecological problems. The scene concludes with a choral performance of a song dedicated to nature conservation by People’s Artist Tunzala Agayeva, accompanied by piano, violin, guitar, and percussion instruments.
The play ends with the presenter addressing the children, followed by remarks about COP29 by the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev. The performance, produced with the involvement of ASAN Radio and supported by AzTV, will be staged at the "İçərişəhər" metro station. Flash mobs based on the script will be organised in two languages, and the performances will also be staged in nurseries and various educational institutions where the costumes were designed.
