The Art for Climate Action Forum has called for an improved role of creativity in climate policy across Africa, urging artists, storytellers and advocates to use creative expression to communicate climate risks, amplify community experiences and strengthen public participation.
Joy Ify Onyekwere, founder of Climate Justice Africa Magazine and convener of the Pan-African virtual forum and creative showcase, led the gathering. Opening the event, she emphasised that climate communication must enable people to recognise their own experiences in discussions about flooding, drought, environmental loss and threatened livelihoods.
The Art for Climate Action forum and creative showcase brought together artists, storytellers and environmental advocates from Africa and beyond. Participants explored how music, painting, documentary storytelling, poetry and performance can connect environmental concerns with everyday life.
Opening the forum, Onyekwere stressed that climate communication must enable people to recognise their own experiences in discussions about flooding, drought, environmental loss and threatened livelihoods.
“People must be able to see themselves in climate conversation,” she said.
Onyekwere explained that the initiative grew partly from a practical challenge she encountered while presenting a climate change radio programme: the limited availability of songs addressing climate and environmental issues. That experience inspired a platform where artists could share their work, link creative expression with climate policy and build relationships around a shared commitment to action.
Onyekwere highlighted the power of different art forms, noting that a painting can prompt reflection, a poem can give language to difficult experiences, and music or photography can help audiences understand another person’s reality. She urged participants to use those possibilities “to deepen public understanding, encourage involvement in policy and inspire action within their communities.”
Under her leadership, the forum placed African voices and lived experiences at the centre of the conversation, with an emphasis on ensuring that people affected by climate change are heard and represented in discussions about solutions.
In a keynote contribution, Elayne Cronin, PhD, examined how documentary storytelling can reveal the human significance of energy transitions and infrastructure. Drawing on her work with engineers and technology companies, she described the challenge of translating technical innovation into stories that explain its impact on people’s lives.
Her account of documenting solar energy access in Honduras illustrated how infrastructure can change everyday opportunities, showing what improved lighting meant for a young person’s education.
The forum was moderated by Uzochukwudinma Awele Otakpor FCE, an environmental auditor. Discussions connected artistic expression with environmental responsibility, public understanding and opportunities for participation, giving substance to the idea of #artvocacy — using art to communicate environmental concerns, amplify community voices and encourage action.
Teddy P. Taylor, Focal Person for Freshwater Challenge Initiatives and Action for Climate Empowerment at the Environmental Protection Agency in Liberia, called for artists to be recognised as partners in climate action, with contributions extending beyond performances at events.
He emphasised their ability “to translate scientific information into emotionally meaningful narratives and support environmental education and public consultation”.
He also advocated support for locally led creative projects that communicate climate risks in languages and forms relevant to their audiences, noting that people are better placed to participate in climate responses when information is accessible, meaningful and connected to their lives.
Johann Hoschtialek (Acc. Dir.) from Grenada introduced the “195 and 365” initiative, centred on youth awareness, education and mobilisation. He highlighted creativity as a means of encouraging empathy, collective responsibility and active involvement among young people.
Creative presentations reinforced the forum’s themes. Joseph Papy Mavula from the Democratic Republic of the Congo performed a song promoting reducing, reusing and recycling, alongside protecting forests and freshwater, linking the work to the responsibility to leave a sustainable environmental legacy for future generations.
Kenyan artist Tabitha wa Thuku used paintings to raise concerns about biodiversity loss, agricultural chemicals and environmental damage, connecting visual expression with questions about restrictions on plastics and harmful chemicals.
Through poetry and melodrama, Fernando Sozuno from Mozambique and Joseph-Matthieu Muka from the Democratic Republic of the Congo explored the relationships between environmental degradation, hunger, poverty, food waste, plastic pollution and human dignity.
Ambassador Ruby Kryticous from Zambia led the Art for Climate Action Declaration, calling on participants to use their talents and collaborate across borders to communicate African climate experiences and support environmental preservation.
Across the presentations, the forum emphasised the need to move from awareness towards involvement: making climate policy understandable, bringing community experiences into public discussion and encouraging practical environmental action.
Climate Justice Africa Magazine, founded by Joy Ify Onyekwere, is a platform that amplifies African voices and creates opportunities for conversations about climate change, climate justice and community experiences. Art for Climate Action extends that mission through creative expression and dialogue linking art, climate policy and action.
