In a lush green-suburb of Karen town a group of young environmental enthusiasts and musicians from the four continents namely; Africa, Europe, Asia and America came together in Nairobi, Kenya for a 10 days workshop funded by the European Union and organised by the Coordinating Committee for International Voluntary Service (CCIVS) to deepen the understanding and share their stories about global environmental and social justice challenges.
Through the Voices for Change project, the 10 day workshop was an event that not only emphasised the role of young people to take part in IVS Projects but also to revolutionise the perception that IVS is more than just volunteering but also something to create meaningful change and a life-changing experience through volunteering. The Earth Artivists Training and Songwriting Workshop, aimed at empowering the International Voluntary Service Movement through Music, storytelling and advocacy and grass root activism. The project is focused on amplifying marginalised voices, fostering inclusion and diversity, and advocating for policy change through participatory processes while employing a decolonial approach to social and climate justice – it met its objective in Nairobi, Kenya.
Miss Victonell Wanjohi, a young woman from Kenya, has felt the impact of climate change first hand. The drought that hit the country a few years ago swept away her father’s produce in the farm, shattering her father’s dreams of a bumper harvest and robbing them of a better life during that time. Mr. Johnson a young Maasai herder lost all of his 100 herds of cows and goats to drought, being a pastoralist he couldn’t do anything to save his livestock, while he lost all this, adjacent to his village is the vast Nairobi National Park that hosts the wild animals including some of the big five. The drought was so severe that the wildlife would trickle in the villages in numbers also searching for water and pasture and he also witnessed the sad reality of the wildlife, that were so used to them, die while he could do nothing. The feeling of being helpless while you see lifeless bodies of plants, animals and even human beings while you can’t do anything. The Voices for Change Project therefore accorded them the voice to share the challenges they faced due to the impact of climate change and the harsh realities of unpredicable and extreme weather pattern changes, and this is the reason why they took part in this project. They did so not because they have beautiful voices or beautiful stories but because they believed through the voices for change project their voices would be reverberated through the music they recorded across oceans and believe their stories would be heard and maybe something would be done.
We had similar stories from India of turtles affected by pollution, and how indigenous peoples were being displaced to pave the way for the extraction of oil deposits in Ecuador. How climate change had destroyed livelihoods and the story was similar amongst the participants from Czech Republic, Turkey, Italy, Estonia, Zimbabwe, Palestine and South Africa. The participants got to learn how similar their stories and realities were, despite having come from different parts of the globe.
The participants being from different parts of the world had a bit of a hard time on the first day being open to each other but as the day unravelled the warm crisp weather and the warmness of the Kenyan people made them loosen up a bit and also through the dance and music performance that electrified the team on the first day from the Red Acapella set the mood up for mingling, and aloofness that had drenched the participants immediately dissipated. The group also spent time getting to know each other, sharing expectations and reaching agreements on the ecology of care they wanted to create for the following days together. The next days the energy of the group had been set and the cheerfulness of the facilitators immediately set the mood up for reading and sharing the stories that were collected previously and later candid discussions were facilitated on the EU Green Deal, a policy for social and climate justice, and how it affects our different continents- a well steered conversation by Kate Curtis. An African perspective towards the same was given by Patrick Okoyo while spearheading a conversation on Green Colonialism and how colonial tendencies affected us in forest conservation, afforestation and agriculture.
The class sessions were suspended on the third day and the participants had an opportunity to visit the Maasai Village known as Etwala, Kajiado County where they were met with colourful dances, beautiful voices and roaring sounds from the Maasai Morans and Maasai women a magnificent aura that clouded the team’s welcoming. A small gathering known as a Baraza’ (Public Gathering) was initiated and both the participants and the Maasai tribe had interactions where we talked about environmental conservation and how drought have ravished both human, domestic animals and wildlife in this lush and green expansive Savannah that hosts both the wild and human beings. Activities that included knowledge exchange, house moulding, language interactions and Maasai dance crowned the end of the gathering and opened up a new stage for nature walk in the Maasai wild. This was one of the most interesting session of the visit as the participants got an opportunity to learn more on the different herbs that treat different diseases and how they are prepared. They also got an opportunity to see and learn on the different migratory routes of the rhinos, hippos, lions and all wild animals that come to the villages in the evenings and how they leave early morning. A small tree planting action took place where the participants, Kenya Forestry Services representatives and the Maasai villagers planted endemic, indigenous trees together. The visit was wrapped up as the heavens opened up for showers and fearful that our bus would get stuck up in the mud it was time to say goodbye and off the team set back to their place of accommodation.
The rest of the days the team set up for a songwriting session with the lead facilitator and artist Checkmate Mido who revolutionized the minds of the participants of vocal techniques, songwriting intrinsic and chordal progression. In a few days, the team was set and ready for the studio. The song included many styles, voices, languages and the lyrics were developed in a participatory way, based on the socio-ecological stories shared earlier in the training and the common challenges identified. It is a call to hear the Earth, to come together in actions for nature through volunteering and raising our voices together.
Tree planting is an integral part of the Kenyan society and the project itself, therefore through the coordination of Kenya Voluntary Service the lead organisation that was coordinating the project in Kenya through the Programme Coordinator Mr. Linus Omondi and their partnership with The Kenya Forestry service, tree seedlings were coordinated to enable the team of participants and the local communities engage in a tree growing exercise spearheaded by the Head of Special Operations of The Kenya Forestry Service Mr. Stephen Chesa where more than a hundred tree seedlings were planted by our team at Ngong Forest and the location named The Voices for Change door’ to symbolize the significance of the tree planting day.
Ngong Forest reserve also known as Ngong Road Forest has a history marked by initial gazettement, subsequent reduction in size due to legal excisions and illegal land grabbing, and eventual protection efforts. Initially established in 1932, it was a source of timber and fuel for the railways. By 1978 significant portions of the forest were lost. In the 1990’s, a campaign led by the trustees of Ngong Road Forest Sanctuary successfully halted the planned allocation of core forest land to developers. The forest is currently managed by The Kenya Forest Service and the Ngong Forest Sanctuary Trust. The team’s participation played a pivotal role in preserving and promoting this forest and after the rainy tree planting and a much-needed warm cup of tea, the team went to the studio and in unity and through the Ubuntu spirit recorded passionately a song that will promote the volunteer spirit and promote the preservation of our environment and our forests. The session well coordinated by Mr. Davide Grosso from the International Music Council crowned the 10 day workshop and brought the voices from around the world to create change through the Voices for Change project.
The last day was a chance to record the final scenes for the music video, and participants dressed in colourful traditional clothing or wore beads and jewellery from their places of origin. We discussed how to bring the song home and share it with groups and in the volunteer workcamps in order to inspire, raise awareness and encourage actions that protect and restore biodiversity and cultural diversity.
I was a sad farewell after an intense 10 days together, we shared much joy, laughter, singing as well as deep concern for the future of our planet. The goodbyes were full of the spirit of active hope – we are hopeful because we are taking action, and we are connected in the spirit of Ubuntu- I am because you are.
Story by Linus Omondi
