Ariel School (Ruwa, 1994) — Watch Raw Footage of Zimbabwe Children Encountering UFO 1994! [Urban Africa Creative Studio]
Source: YouTube, “Watch Raw Footage of Zimbabwe Children Encountering UFO 1994!”, Urban Africa Creative Studio channel — upload of archival footage. URL: https://youtu.be/I3TBQCqMmB8 (24:15; ~30k views; uploaded 2021-05-08) Captured: 2026-06-11 via YouTube auto-captions. Auto-caption text is lowercase and unpunctuated. What this is: An upload of archival 1994 footage: the contemporary news reporting and child interviews from the days after the sighting. Part of the Ariel School (Ruwa, Zimbabwe, 16 Sep 1994) source set — see ariel-school-ufo-1994.
It’s swimming around down there. So, I went down to see what was happening and I actually saw this in the trees and it was like in a Milky Way pattern on on like silver and green and that sort of colors. Um, and then there was this little boy crying. So, I went up to him to see what was wrong with him and he said he’s he was quite afraid of it. And then um that actually made me quite afraid of it cuz then somebody’s afraid I get afraid. And then um I saw this person and he his eyes were like in a slant like say like so and his mouth was just like a line like this and then at the at the time the teachers were in a staff meeting. So um nobody actually went up to go and call the teachers because I think they were too afraid and everything. So when when the bell rang cuz somebody eventually went up one of the prefix went and said to um one of our teachers Mr. going on, please could we um do can you ring the bell because there’s quite a bit of a performance down there with all the kids running around. And then somebody from BBC um came to us and he went for a walk down there with us with a ger count and actually on that piece of metal over there, we we could stand up on it and we could actually see a few burn marks. So he asked us when we were walking down there with him, he said, “Please could you come down with us to go and have a look at the things.” So when we we walked about if there’s about six poles and if you have a look 1 2 3 4 5 6 there were um bone marks actually on the ground. Um and in the heels there on the rock there the day that it happened there was something glittering like quite strongly and then we when we came back to school the next day it was just gone. And also when we went down with him, the burn marks had just gone. That’s like a few minutes later. How long did you observe this whole happening? I think it was about 5 and 1/2 minutes when we went down there because it was actually quite scary. Well, I was at the touch shop um over there and then I saw people crowding up at the near the site. So I went there and I looked and I saw this this ship and it had this light like a pattern um yellow, purple and green it will keep on going around and then there was something running across and something of the ship that moved. Then uh when I looked um more down when I looked like straight a straight vision with the grass some like alien thing he had big eyes like what guy was saying here. Do you agree with the other two that they the eyes were slanting, the mouth was rather thin, the nose small, and it was about how tall would you assume? Maybe about 3 and 1/2 ft. [clears throat] But you agree with the other description? Yes. Okay. And suddenly I saw this glittering thing what my friend Kaye saw and um it had a orangey red like glittering thing. It kept on moving at the side and um and I saw like a black thing sitting on top of it. I I don’t know if it was a branch or the thing the part of the alien where it was sitting on, but I don’t know. I looked and I saw this silverish type thing in the bushes and I’m really excited. Guy has just one last mention of something very interesting here. Go. Mrs. Dark, we used to go down there with our teacher Mr. Vernon just for a walk for our content studies. Um, we’ve got a dam. It’s actually empty at the moment and we go down there to get some clay and pieces of grass. Um, it’s actually quite interesting because there’s usually ants that crawl on us and bite us. Um, and when we went down there with the BBC, um, we were walking around and we came back and there were very there were quite a few antills and ant holes on the floor. There was not a single ant and there were quite there were a few dead ones on the floor. Name is Candace. Candace, please tell us what happened that very exciting day. Um me and my friend Claire, Haley, and Camila, we were just walking and then we saw this maroon color just waving about and it was disappearing and disappearing and we started to follow it and um then we stood over there on one of the logs and we saw like this silver thing and um we decided that we should go down there and see. But Cla said, “We’re not allowed there.” So I said, “I don’t it doesn’t matter. Let’s just go and see.” And we got closer and closer, and we saw this um silver thing just shining it. And we thought that it was just a house with glass um reflecting in the sun and shining. Then we thought, “No, it can’t be that because there’s no houses up there on the rocks.” And um then we waited for a few minutes and we just stared at it and we heard this flute sort of like a flute noise. And then we got closer and closer and um then we saw this I saw this black figure running in slow motion and then I didn’t want to see it. So I looked away and I looked again and it wasn’t there anymore. this figure like Candace said, running in slow motion. And one poked its head out up and looked at me onto the grass. And um I me and Candace were really scared we nearly um screamed. We were so scared and we were running back and forth because we were excited and scared at the same time. Anna Rivero. Hannah, please tell us your experiences. You see, and when the bell rang, me, Gary, and Porsche was supposed to practice for assembly that that day. So, we were called out by Stefan, that’s one of our friends, and he called us and he said he saw something. So, we went I didn’t actually believe that he actually saw something because he was saying it was an alien. And so I went out and then when I was looking at it, I saw um it’s like a silver light and like that kind of spaceship you showed me just coming out just for an instant and then it just disappeared like um just like that. And so I I first thought it was my imagination because everybody was talking about it. But then when I thought about it really, I I I thought, “No, it couldn’t be.” Well, the night before I saw the cigar shaped spacecraft, but I’ve got it in my picture, but it it wasn’t exactly like a cigar. I thought it was a circle. Then the day after that, I saw it in the game with my friends Far and Barry. What did you see that that morning here at the school? While my these other children were running, I asked them what it was and they said it was a UFO. Then I ran with them to the the logs over there. Then then I saw I saw one person sitting on top of the ship and guarding it and another one running up and down like he was confused. And he was actually looking at us. But some people said, “There’s another property over there right at the back. It’s Mrs. nurse’s property. Some people say that it was Mrs. Nurse’s gardener. Some people say that it was a house over there, but I didn’t believe it cuz I saw I went up with the BBC and as you know already from the ancestor they were all dead. So then he said there was radiation marks. But and Marley, you believe that there there’s no house that would be near enough that all the children could see this so close to the playground? No, because on Monday when we went there again, there was no Could you tell me what you saw on on Friday? Um, well, we saw some people. There were there was a white one, a red one, and a black one. And the black one was sitting on the spaceship. How do you know it was a spaceship? Wasn’t it a helicopter or something like that? Yeah. Well, it looked like it was like glinting in the trees. Like it looked like round about like a like a disc like a round. And And whereabouts was it? It was in the in the trees over there between the third pole. And And you say it looked like a disc. Are you sure it wasn’t a um a Harrier jump jet or a an aircraft? Something that the Zimbabwe Air Force like in a in a disc. And and what just what happened guy? Well, it it was just glinting in the trees and this like there was a man and he walked towards us and he walked back again. And what does he look like? His his face was like this and his eyes were down here. Like what? Further down his face? Yeah, much further down than us. Cuz our eyes are here, his are down. And how close were you to him? Well, I was like the I was at the back cuz I had just been finished in the classroom and I was quite at the back. So, all the other kids were in the front. You don’t think it was somebody in fancy dress doing a prank or something? What about you, Ariana? Tell us what you saw. Well, I saw the same as guy, but um I saw this like one on the silver glittery thing. I saw this like black like black long. It looks like a stick, but it was very thin. It was It was a man, was it? I don’t know what it was, but it was very thin. All I saw was like a a long thing and on on on a like a silver thing and he was very very very thin. What I mean it wasn’t he do you think he was a sort of a a black Zimbabwean man? Well, not not really. He wasn’t very very dark. He was very quite lightish and he was very thin. Not as And how tall? About about say there. Just a bit a bit taller than you. Well, yeah. And why do you think why do you think that that this was something different that this wasn’t some helicopter from the Zimbabwe Air Force and just some some guys playing a joke? Why do you think it was actually an a UFO and possibly a spaceman? Um, it was just because it was it somebody wouldn’t just be playing around and just be on the ground all of a sudden. Did it make any noise this thing? Not really. No. And and it’s it landed. Something landed. Do you do you see it land? No, it was it was in the trees over there like in the trees like in the trees like linting and like there was somebody on the ground and then what happened? And then he walked towards us and he walked back again and they just went. How how did they go? It just went all of a sudden. What? Like helicopter? Just just went. At which way? Down more down into the valley. At about what height quite high like. And then what happened? And then it didn’t come back again. And did you girls see that as well? Yes. Yes. Great. You’re head master of Ariel school. Tell me what what what do you think of all this? Um I feel sure that the children feel that they did see something. Um I don’t believe or disbelieve to be perfectly honest. Um but I do feel that they definitely saw something. We had a number of children say they did. We asked them to draw pictures of what they saw this morning. Uh what they saw on Friday and um after looking at those I definitely feel that they did see something. I agree that it could be something that we um are not common with. Um um but to actually say that it was a UFO, I would be uh reluctant to make a decision like that. I personally did not see it. Can you just tell me very briefly if we go along just say what your name is and what what you saw? Nathaniel Coxel. What did you see? I still was uh like ship landed on the ground. Why do you say ship? Did it have a shape? Yes. Like what? It was it had a a long top fat effect around the sides. What is around the side? Just a um just saw like a platform coming down the side. Platform. Did you see anything else? Yes, we saw a black man running around just a little man or what? From where we looked, he was about this small, but we were quite way away, so he was about our size. Could you see his face? No. What is your name? My name’s Luke Mill and I didn’t see the special, but I saw the little black guy and he looked he was black and it looked like he had long hair. Could you see his face? No, just what was he wearing? Uh, it just looked like he he had long hair. What is your name? Triple B. Oh, and you also saw the this? Yes, we were all there. Creature. Yes. What did you think it was? Um, I don’t know really. Did you see the thing? Whatever it was, land. Yes. Um, after filming, I I was I was walking up to the class and I just saw flashes inside of my eye and that’s really what I was. But you didn’t see anything on the ground. No, I saw that just there. I I’m Daniel Mandy and and I saw this this silver thing in amongst this clump of of trees with this one thing sitting on the side and another thing sort of like running up and down the the top. When you say thing, was it a form of some sort? Yeah, it it almost looked like a real person except it was fairly plump. Plump? Not really. And what did you think it was? What were your thoughts? I um at first I at at at first I thought it was um just some uh some boy from the from the the compound um playing playing a a round. But um but the hair was it looked more like our hair. It it it wasn’t curly. you that that thing almost looked like a hippie. And your name? My name is Emily Bton. I saw um I saw the little black men. They were they had long longish hair and it was all black and they had big black eyes. That’s all I saw. I saw a glimpse. They kind of turned around and stared and then went back into a kind of like ship. kind. There was like sort of one big one with quite a few little ones all scattered around. When you say he had big eyes, show me with your hands the size compared to They were oval kind of like that. Oval? Yes, I see. And could you see anything else on the face? No, I couldn’t. All as I could see was his hair. And when he turned around and then he Were you afraid? Yes, I was. What did you think it was? Well, everybody was saying that they were UFOs and everything. So, other people said they were UFOs. Yeah. Um, people were coming around telling um we were in the classroom and I ran out and I saw it. They I did think they were UFOs. I did see them. You were Were you perhaps influenced by what the other children had said? Sort of. But I did definitely see what you saw. What I saw? Yes. Do you also see? Yes. What is your name? Charity. I saw What did you see? I saw something silver on the ground amongst the trees and a person in black and that’s all I saw. You saw a person alongside the silver thing? Yes. What did the silver thing look like? It looked like a sa but the shape wasn’t really round. Have you heard about UFOs before this? No. You didn’t know anything about it? So, it was something quite new to you? Yes. Were you afraid? Yes. What did you do? Did you run to fetch the teachers or you just stayed with the other children? I stayed with the other children. If you see on some of the drawings, I think like this one here, he’s got what he saw on Thursday and then basically what he saw on Friday, like a pencil in the sky. Yeah. Well, my and this is Emma. Oh, Emma Christensen. Yes. Yes. Because your drawing uh was particularly interesting. Uh they have asked me about it. Um you saw in your drawing you’ve got not only the main uh object there, but you’ve got several others. Now, did you see these coming down or did you see them in the sky? I saw them. I saw them disappear. They went 1 m up from the ground and then they just disappeared. They went 1 m up and they disappeared. And this this you saw this creature. Yes. Who was very very shiny black? Shiny black. Shiny black suit. Kind of suit. Would you say it was like a or suit that was it like what Mr. Mackey’s wearing? No. What would you call the type of clothing? I’m not sure, but he was really Have you ever seen the divers going to the sea? Oh, yes, like that. Was it like that? Or was it like an overall or a tight fitting suit? It was tight fitting. It was tight fitting and it was shiny. Yes. Could you see his face? Well, I only saw a glimpse of it. And you don’t remember any individual features? Well, uh, I only remember that his eyes were quite big. Eyes were big. And were you afraid? I was a little afraid. What did you think it was? I don’t know. I just thought it was some kind of alien from a different planet. So, you knew about UFOs? Yes. You watched on television? Yes. Do you think that influenced you or you weren’t thinking about it when you thinking about it? Okay. Thanks, Emma. And Lisa was film. And what did you see? Well, I saw um a silver silver thing. It was shaped. It was like lying down like this on the side. And I saw a black man. He He was dressed in black and he had big eyes. Show me with your hand how big the eyes were. It was shaped like something like that. What did you think it was? Well, I thought I thought twice. I thought it was an alien. And then I thought maybe it was a garden or someone like in Durban you see these people in like a diving suit, a really shiny one. And he looked like he was dressed in that and he had his eyes were down here and he was like looking really really funny. A few of my friends and I were sitting in the playground eating our lunch and we saw or Emily said first that she she said, “Ah, there’s a UFO.” And she didn’t really think it was a UFO because I mean it was just kind of flying along slowly and then we all looked and we thought, “Yeah, that is really a UFO.” And um it flew along for about a minute or so and then it disappeared but it was looked like a cigar a cigarette. What did these spacemen look like? He looked like definitely not a human. I don’t know. He had a big head and big black eyes and was dressed in a black bodysuit. Tight for him. And what was his arms and his hands and his legs like? Like humans, but he didn’t he definitely didn’t look like when his head was much too big. All I saw was a a silver flesh just like that. And some say they saw many spacecraft. And I saw the man with his eyes here. And I saw a few space I saw the bigger one and the spaceship like four or five of them like crowding around it. And then after a after a few minutes, a couple of minutes, they just just disappeared like just went. I saw one big one and then quite a few little ones scattered all around. How many of quite a few? About two or three or four? Four. About four. And what’s what the little ones doing? No, they were they were very still and then I saw them also disappear. They went about a meter off the ground and then they just vanished. And what happened to the big one? The big one did the same. My friends and I, we we ran down to the teachers and we went into the office and we started telling the teachers and then they said, “Maybe there’s nothing.” And how did that make you feel when they said maybe there’s nothing? Well, we felt very sad cuz we did see something. And what did the headmaster say, Mr. Mackey? Mr. Mackey said that maybe there was something down there, but he didn’t really know. But the children can’t lie. they tell the truth. When I went home the day after this incident happened, I told my mom and she said, “Actually, I don’t believe you, but I can’t really say yes and no.” But she said, “I I really don’t think I believe you.” And then um she said my dad came home and I told him all about this and he said it was probably just a rumor. I felt really upset because I knew that it was true. I want to forget about it. I want to keep it in because I knew that it was true and I want to talk to other people about it. they can communicate with us or trying to tell us something. I think they’re trying to tell us something which is going to happen. I think that they’re good people because they they’re showing us all the things that other people don’t believe in and we’re not too sure if we seen these things and other people don’t actually believe us sometimes.