Climate change: African creatives seek greater role in policy communication
By Henry Nnaemeka
Climate advocates and creatives across Africa have called for greater use of art and creative expression in communicating climate policies and environmental issues to the public.
The call was made at the virtual Art for Climate Action Forum, organised recently by the founder of Climate Justice Africa Magazine, Joy Ify Onyekwere.
The Pan-African forum brought together climate advocates, artists and environmental professionals to explore how music, painting, poetry and documentary storytelling could make complex climate issues easier for communities to understand and engage with.
Onyekwere said effective climate communication must connect with people’s everyday experiences, stressing that public participation would remain limited if climate discussions were presented only in technical terms.
“People must be able to see themselves in climate conversations,” she said.
She stressed that the initiative was partly inspired by her experience in climate radio programming, where she noticed a shortage of songs and other creative works addressing environmental issues.
The forum examined how creative expression could help translate scientific information and climate policies into stories that communities could relate to.
Dr Elayne Cronin, while discussing solar energy access in Honduras, demonstrated how documentary storytelling could turn complex infrastructure issues into relatable human experiences.
Also speaking, Teddy P. Taylor of Liberia’s Environmental Protection Agency urged governments to regard artists as important partners in climate education rather than limiting their role to entertainment at events.
The forum also featured creative works from different parts of Africa.
Joseph Papy Mavula of the Democratic Republic of Congo highlighted the use of music to promote recycling, while Kenyan artist Tabitha wa Thuka showcased paintings focused on biodiversity.
Poets Fernando Sozuno of Mozambique and Joseph-Matthieu Muka of the Democratic Republic of Congo used poetry to address food security, poverty and environmental challenges.
At the close of the forum, Ambassador Ruby Kryticous of Zambia led participants in adopting the Art for Climate Action Declaration, which called for greater cross-border collaboration to protect Africa’s environment.
The forum was moderated by environmental auditor Uzochukwudinma Awele Otakpor FCE.
Participants called for #Artvocacy—the use of creative expression to advance environmental advocacy—to become a more established part of climate communication and policy engagement across Africa.
