Ariel School Close Enc. Ruwa, Zimbabwe

[Noanswers]

I recently stumbled across some of the videos of the school children being interviewed by John Mack back in 1994. I had completely forgotton about this case. To my mind, it seems like one of the most convincing cases in the long and sordid history of UFO encounters. There is something about the testimonies of these children, the looks in their eyes and almost detached state of mind that really adds credence to their collective story (at least in my opinion).
My question is about the children and any research on this encounter. Does anyone know where the children are today? Have they all, 13 years on, stayed with the original story? Is anyone still investigating this case?
If anyone is aware of anything on the school yard, I'd be fascinated to hear.
Thank you-

 

[Aaron LeClair]

I was never impressed with the case. Sounds like you caught an episode of Sightings. I recall a lady in that segment ask the rhetorical question, "Why would children lie?". As if children never make things up.

 

[CapnG]

They used to have that SIGHTINGS segment on YouTube but I can't find it now... must be part of the VIACOM crackdown.

 

[Noanswers]

I was never impressed with the case. Sounds like you caught an episode of Sightings. I recall a lady in that segment ask the rhetorical question, "Why would children lie?". As if children never make things up.

I did see the Sightings episode and have read about the case in different sources. I come away with a different feeling. If one watches it (it is still on youtube.com. . .I'd post the link, but for the life of me I can't remember how to link videos and I'd rather not have the wrath of Gene ) and can see past the schlocky music and sounds, there seems to be something in the eyes of those children that reminds me of children I've photographed in war zones. Whatever happened to them appears to have traumatized them to their very cores. Additionally, according to Mack, they were separated quickly and came up with the same accounts of what supposedly happened. Lastly, one always has to look to motivation: while we all know that B#l*y has made a ton of money over in Switzerland on his "sightings", these people were really not heard from again. The adults never made some "museum" or sold a tee-shirt, to the best of my knowledge. The only stories I can find about them or the school go all the way back to the incident.
I'm left with more questions...

 

[Loose Leaf Tea]

I agree with you, Noanswers. The childrens' responses appear totally genuine and without guile. I find the case extremely compelling but am mystified as to why it has languished in relative obscurity. I suspect it has to do with the depressing European/North American bias inherent within "ufology". Consider the outrageous fact that Cynthia Hind, the original investigator of the Ariel School case, was, as far as I know, the only UFO investigator covering the WHOLE of Africa! Alas, now dead, she did some splendid field work and covered many many miles. What a fine Paracast guest she would have made!
Until we can have a central collection point for WORLD UFO reports, available in well-translated, multi-lingual formats, how many more Ariel School cases will slip past investigators?
And while I'm at it, lets form a worldwide investigative team, headed by Gene and David, based on a tropical island, with rapid response vehicles ready to whisk them to away to new cases. Their vehicles could be called, say, "Lightning-Avians" and their team, International Fast Action Response Team...oh, wait, bad acronym, man, bad acronym...

 

[Aaron LeClair]

I never use sincerity as evidence. It's too hard to measure unless I know the people etc. I need something to contrast their behavior by. I recall numerous discrepancies in the eyewitness testimony too, yet the researchers involved always talked about how consistent it was. It wasn't overly.

Anyway, I would like to see what those kids have to say nowadays. I don't rule out that they had a sighting, the case is inconclusive to me.

 

[Noanswers]

I never use sincerity as evidence. It's too hard to measure unless I know the people etc. I need something to contrast their behavior by. I recall numerous discrepancies in the eyewitness testimony too, yet the researchers involved always talked about how consistent it was. It wasn't overly.

Anyway, I would like to see what those kids have to say nowadays. I don't rule out that they had a sighting, the case is inconclusive to me.

These are very good points, Packrat. One can be very sincere in relating a hallucination. I wasn't aware of any inconsistancies in the children's stories, they would certainly raise questions as to what happened in the school yard. I too would like to know what has happened to those children in the intervening years and what they have to say today. I feel like I've hit a dead end in trying to track down info on this case, hence posting here in hopes that someone would have a lead on anything more contemporary. All it would take is one of them to say that the headmaster concocted the whole thing to get funding for the school or something to blow the whole story away, yet there just seems to be no follow-up anywhere on this case.
I should ammend that last sentence, apparently a couple of film-makers involved with the late John Mack's PEER Institute are working on a film about Ruwa, but there is no indication of its status or release date. I guess it's just a matter of waiting to see what and if anything ever comes of this. A plane ticket to a sub-saharan dictatorship to ask my own questions isn't in the budget this week

 

[Artyom]

Ok, I'm not sure about the right way to embed the links so here they are to open and watch

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[Gene Steinberg]

Artyom, just click on the Edit button, select Quick Edit, and see what I did, and you, too, can embed YouTube videos here

Nobody else, of course, can edit your post, except for the privileged few working as Administrators here.