Wildlands’ Rhino Ambassador and world renowned musician Ray Phiri, unveiled his ¾ life size rhino sculpture this morning at King Shaka International Airport. A large group of people attended the event to support the musician in making a stand against the current rhino poaching crisis, which is noticeably something he feels very passionate about. It forms part of Rays personal “heart song” – a creative term used to describe a musician’s passions and feelings.
Approaching his sixty fifth year the legendary Ray Phiri stated, “I have reached that special stage in my life where I am determined to leave a lasting legacy for both my fans and younger generations to come, I hope I can do this through the Rhino Parade.” The youth and their potential as leaders of tomorrow is something that really drives Ray to share his worldly knowledge.
“Ray is so full of wisdom and is quite frankly one of the most interesting people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting,” comments Lauren Laing of the Wildlands Conservation Trust. “He has lived a broken road, but what he considers a blessed life, which has given him a wealth of knowledge not only with regards to the music industry, but love and life in general. He obviously went down a storm with the third year students at DUT (Durban University of Technology), who volunteered their talents for the conception and implementation of the rhino artworks.”
“Ray is a fantastic storyteller,” said Carla Ziady, the student from DUT who designed and painted Ray’s rhino sculpture, “so much so that I had to include his famous quote – THIS IS YOUR STORY, MY STORY…THE UNFINISHED STORY – and make the art of ‘storytelling’ the creative thread that links the designs on the rhino!” His commitment of being a great citizen and the entertaining way in which he urged students to get back in touch with their heritage was truly unforgettable, as he also spoke of how important it is to care, love, inspire and nurture communities, family and friends.
Ray is a leading South African songwriter, musician, producer, and social justice activist and has received several accolades including a Grammy Award and the Order of Ikhamanga in Silver from President Jacob Zuma for his contribution to the South African music industry and the successful use of arts as an instrument of social transformation. Ray has also worked on various projects to promote the development of the arts in Southern Africa through the ‘Ray Phiri Arts Institute’ and is involved in various social re-engineering projects, which have seen him volunteering his time and counselling service to fight the scourge of HIV/AIDS.
Just as Ray liberated oppressed South Africans through his music several years ago, he aims to use music as a means to fight the rhino poaching crisis. Ray will share the stage with his rhino sculpture on Saturday the 6th of October at the KwaMashu Africa Festival 2012, and will also talk to the thousands of spectators set to attend about his passion for the conservation of our heritage.
Kevin McCann of Wildlands spoke to the fact that ambassadors like Ray help leverage our fundraising efforts. “Through the celebrity endorsed Rhino Parade we are able to increase our conservation efforts, which include 3 key projects namely, Project Rhino Tracker, Project Rhino Aerial Support and Project Rhino Investigations & Prosecution Support,” said McCann. “A lot of the public are wary of donating funds for fear of investing in an organisation that is not legitimate. Through our partnerships with 16 other organisations, all collaborating efforts under the Project Rhino KZN banner, we hope to curb this fear.”
“We have been involved with Wildlands for several years through their donation boxes that appear in our Airports countrywide,” commented Colin Naidoo, Brand & Communications Manager at ACSA. “We believe they are making a significant difference through all the work that they do and are confident that we have partnered with an organisation that we know will invest the funds wisely.”
The Durban Rhino Parade includes four celebrity rhino sculptures in total, with the first three having been adopted by former Proteas’ fast-bowler Shaun Pollock, Sprinkbok Pat Lambie, Ray Phiri and the fourth by Olympic Gold Medalist Chad Le Clos. The sculptures will be on parade at King Shaka Airport until the end of November before they are moved to the Durban City Hall to be auctioned at a high profile Gala Dinner set to be held on the 29th of November.
Photo credit: Emma Gatlin
WILDTRUST (registered as the Wildlands Conservation Trust - IT No: 4329/1991/PMB)