Source: Africa: "Voices of the Forest"
Funding for the VITAL/Ready to Teach collection was secured through the United States Department of Education under the Ready to Teach Program.
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Logging has become an invader to the Baka people who live in the rainforest in southeast Cameroon. In this video segment, a man rises in the morning to the sound of a buzz saw cutting down another tree. The Baka can only stand by and watch silently as loggers rob them of their trees. The rainforests of West Africa have almost disappeared. What happens in Cameroon will affect what happens to the rest of the Congo Basin, one of the oldest living ecosystems in the world. Learn more about the lives of the Baka in "Who are the Baka?" and "Taking a Stand," part of a sequence of three video segments from the series Africa.
Download and ShareThe following Frame, Focus and Follow-up suggestions are best suited for middle school students using this video in an English language arts or science lesson. Be sure to modify the questions to meet your students' instructional needs.
What is Frame, Focus and Follow-up?
Frame(ELA) Describe what is meant by "the tone" of a story.
Focus (ELA) What is the tone of the video segment, “The Invasion of the Modern World?”
Follow Up (ELA) Describe how the tone is set by the words, images and music in “The Invasion of the Modern World.”
Frame(SCI) How do you change your environment for better and worse?
Focus (SCI) Why is the title of this segment “The Invasion of the Modern World?”
Follow Up (SCI) Discuss the long-term effects humans can have on an ecosystem.
NARRARATOR: The loggers have returned for the tree that sparked the villagers’ campaign. Despite her 68 years, Jeanne’s life has been a peaceful one. Sheltered by the forest, she’s never heard this sound before. For the first time in her life she’s witnessing the invasion of the modern world. And she’s frightened. In the face of this defeat, the Baka – thrown out of heaven for their noise and laughter – are silent. They can only watch helplessly as their tree is stolen piece by piece, before their eyes. How much longer will the Baka be able to hunt in the forest? And what will they do once the animals and trees are gone? To the north the forests of West Africa have almost disappeared. What happens here in Cameroon will affect the entire future of the Congo Basin. This is the oldest living ecosystem we possess. Now it could be gone before we know it.
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