Some of the creatives that took part included Joan Otieno-  a Nairobi based artist specialising in the use of waste materials, Laissa Malih- a Laikipian Maasai and first female filmmaker in her community, Dorphanage- a spoken word artist and Kenyan singer Ras Amor.

It was a week of learning, sharing, networking and inspiration.

Over 15 organisations participated in the inaugural event including Africa No Filter, Greenpeace, Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) and the Royal Danish Embassy in Kenya.

Each organisation helped shape the narrative of climate justice to focus on important African policy issues for communities through the medium of art and creativity in the lead up to COP 27.

Capacitation Workshops

The WE!ARE workshops offer both online and in-person training sessions that focus on climate related policy education.

These workshops focus on getting our youth involved in the fight against climate change and to appreciate the importance of climate justice in Africa and how it affects all our futures.

These sessions include an arts and media up-skilling programme, community participation, leadership and entrepreneurship, and policy capacitation.

Creative Hubs

A core component of the We!Are Movement is to partner with trusted local creative hubs in Nigeria, Mozambique, South Africa and Egypt to curate and execute engaging community activations.

These hubs are where artists will be co-creating with their community, become leading voices in the call for climate justice while generating impactful social media content to spread the message to their respective audiences.

Through creative installations, pop-up showcases, workshops and mentorship programmes which address climate action in relevant and refreshing ways, we invite our African youth to become actively involved in telling the climate change story from an African perspective ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference 2022 (COP 27) being held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, from 6 to 18 November 2022.

Kenya Workshop Speakers and Discussion points

Our list of speakers and discussion points at the Kenyan We!Are Workshops included:

• Chineyenwa Okoro Onu – World Economic Forum Global Shaper
• Eric Njuguna – Climate Activist
• Joan Otieno – Warembo Wasanii
• Kenneth Kigunda – Climate Story Africa 
• Wambui Gathee – Docubox
• Kevin Lunzalu – Co-founder, Kenyan Youth Biodiversity Network
• Natasha Kimani – Africa No Filter

The We!Are Movement

The We!Are movement is a campaign launched by Crtve Development, a pan-African social agency that champions change on the African continent.

Through the power of art, technology, journalism and research Crtve Development are championing for African-owned and led development that will bridge the gap between people and policies.

Climate justice and the challenge that climate change presents in Africa is at the heart of the We!Are Movement.

While Africa has the least impact on climate change, globally, Africa and Africans are often the most impacted!

The We!Are Movement strives to change the narrative behind climate change in Africa by engaging with Africa’s youth and calling on them to make their voices heard through the mediums of music, art, fashion and storytelling, so that we can turn the attention on Africa and highlight the climate justice needs of Africans.

We want young people from affected communities to take climate action seriously by participating in workshops, showcases, inclusive partnerships and conversation.

We want the youth to unleash their creative potential and for the We!Are Movement to serve as a catalyst that enables them to retell the story of “the Africa we want to see.”

Visit here for more on the We!Are Campaign.