Opinion: Greta Thunberg on Africa's climate change
Opinion:
Greta Thunberg on Africa's climate change
Yesterday, in Stockholm, Sweden's capital, teen activist Greta Thunberg held a press conference with other fellow activists from Africa.
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Greta at the press conference
Source: Yahoo news
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Greta Thunberg, is the 17 year old Swedish teenage activist, whom I have honestly become enamoured of. I mean, this young lady has walked into presidential halls, meetings, which I'm sure you'll agree are well above her age range, but well, obviously not beyond her level of intelligence and has stirred up actions nationally and internationally, even if they've not correctly addressed her cause yet.
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| Greta Thunberg |
Although Greta spurred this on, we're not talking about her today. We're talking about Africa, and the conspicuous absence of media attention on issues that matter.
Africa seems to be a world in obscurity. Now this opinion might seem biased but I'm pretty sure you understand me. Just take out time today and scroll through the news, and you'll notice that much of media coverage is on the horrible happenings in Africa and very little on other important things.
This is exactly what Ms Vanessa Nakate, a Ugandan activist lamented about during the press conference. She was angered after being cropped out of a photograph with her white pairs including Ms. Thunberg.
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| The photo from which she was cropped out |
According to her, climate change campaigns are as rampant in Africa as they are in other countries.
Are they though? You might ask. Well, we really wouldn't know since there's little media evidence to support this claim. Another question we can ask is "Have they really been doing anything and I mean anything at all." And I've got an answer, I mean Twitter does. Yes they have, because climate change is also affecting Africa's climate and the likes of Ms. Thunberg, ever since she started out her #FridayForFuture campaign in August 2018, have taken to the streets, to gatherings, to keep up with the latest world happenings and support Greta in her mission for change.
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#KeepMamaAfricaGreen;
Source: Twitter
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Ms Nakate, and other activists including Ayakha Melithafa, 17, African Climate Alliance and Fridays For Future, South Africa, Makenna Muigai, Fridays For Future, Kenya, and Ndoni Mcunu, climate scientist in South Africa are all tired of being ignored. They are clamouring for attention and not in the way that most people would think, but because they need the world to know, they need Africa to know and not just to know but to get up and do something.
"This is the time for the world to listen to the activists from Africa and to pay attention to their stories," Ms Nakate told journalists via a video link from Uganda's capital, Kampala.
"This is an opportunity for media to actually do some justice to the climate issues in Africa."
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| Some pictures showing the campaigns in Africa, from Greta's twitter page |
I agree with you Ms. Nakate, but I have one question, and some of you probably have it at the tip of your tongues too. So here goes, "If a country like America is still trying so hard to ensure that these climatic issues are addressed, how will Africa, considering the fact that they are addressing so many other issues like xenophobia, gender based violence, the locust infestation in East Africa and so much more like... you know what? Let's not go there. So yes, how will Africa change anything?
We should join them right? Alright, if you are not on Twitter, create an account, and let's all follow the #FridayForFuture, Greta Thunberg and Vanessa Nakate.
If you have any question or comment please put them in the comment section below and they'll be addressed. Oh and don't forget to follow us on Instagram @sgreencycling and on Twitter @Sgreencycling.
Author:
Bibitayo Omidiora is a content creator, and like so many people in this world, has only just begun to understand the need to partake in the fight to save the earth.
As such, in conjunction with Stac Green Club, we will not stop until we all see the value is deemed nonsense.
Don't forget to join us again next week. See you!!!
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