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A video podcast from Kenya about community climate initiatives. Uganda's Bee Run; how citizen science improves air quality; and a resilient cotton returns to Senegal.
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00:17As individuals we can do a lot to protect our planet, but as communities we are even
00:24more powerful. It's not always easy in today's world to find community, but it starts with
00:29connecting, listening, and participating. Welcome to EcoAfrica. I'm Chris Alemse,
00:36coming to you from Lagos, Nigeria, and I'm joined by my co-host Malama Mukunde in Lusaka, Zambia.
00:43A warm welcome from me too. Let's take a look at what's coming up today.
00:48A West African cotton crop is helping revive a traditional craft in Senegal.
00:56The B-Run, creating a buzz in Kampala, Uganda.
01:02How citizen science is helping improve air quality in Lagos.
01:07Here on EcoAfrica, we know how important it is to include everyone in the conversation about
01:16climate change and environmental challenges. But these days, television doesn't always reach the
01:22people the way it used to. More and more often, people are choosing on-demand digital platforms.
01:30Now these can offer storytellers the freedom to dig deeper, give locals more of a voice,
01:37connect more directly with followers, and build a community.
01:44In this Nairobi studio, change is in the air. Abigail Kimah is hosting the podcast Halihewa,
01:50which means climate in Swahili. Since 2022, Abigail has hosted voices from 20 African countries,
01:58connecting scientists, farmers, and environmental activists through one message. Africa must tell its
02:04own story. She got the idea after visiting a global climate conference in Scotland.
02:08It felt like a very disconnected space from the realities of African communities, Kenya,
02:14for example, that are grappling with impacts of climate change. And so I really wanted to bridge
02:19that information gap between a very elitist space and communities who deal with impacts of climate
02:27change on a daily basis.
02:30For today's guest, climate advocate Kaluki Paul Motuko, the stories on Abigail's show resonate deeply.
02:37Abigail is using the platform to break down hard jargons into simplified climate messaging that can
02:44reach many different people, especially in the community. And so to me, I found myself watching this
02:50program to also relate to the communities and understand climate change from a local perspective.
02:58Kaluki is an environmentalist who leads campaigns to protect and restore important natural habitats.
03:04One of his projects, Inuka, was in the Ondiri wetlands west of Nairobi.
03:10You know, Ondiri is a very important wetland and it's faced a lot of serious chaos, destruction,
03:17forest fires, people encroaching into it, greenhouses that are really contributing to its dwindling.
03:24So we funded them to really see how they can, you know, create awareness programs and trainings
03:31and allowing people to see the importance of that ecosystem.
03:34I know Inuka really did quite a bit in Ondiri and I got to witness that.
03:46The two set out on a field trip to see the impact of the community efforts.
03:56Locals have been sensitized about the importance of this freshwater ecosystem and now help to protect it.
04:05The issue was not so much more about us having an activity for the wetland itself,
04:10but an activity around the wetland because a lot of it has been or was encroached for farming,
04:16people cutting it down to build or just also looting, grabbing soil, the land.
04:23Being here at Ondiri today, one thing that has stood out for me is the fact that so many of
04:30us are unaware of where our water comes from.
04:33Really, truly understanding what water sources mean because the most we know about water for a big population of us
04:41is the water in our taps.
04:42But it's interesting to be at Ondiri wetland today and to understand just how many people this particular wetland is
04:49serving in terms of water provision.
04:51And not only water, but just the survival of the ecosystem.
04:56The once endangered area is slowly regenerating, also helped by people like Robert Mayer.
05:03He has been tackling the massive waste and sewage pollution and encroachment on the area.
05:08After a decade of restoration efforts, the community-led transformation is becoming visible.
05:15Robert says that Abica's platform has inspired many to do more to protect Kenya's fragile ecosystems.
05:23Halihewa comes in so handy to make these young people understand or to answer the question,
05:29why are we doing what we are doing? Why are we planting the trees?
05:33Because some people, they just hear of planting trees and they go, they think it's just something you just do.
05:38But it's critical that they can help us.
05:42The podcaster wants to keep such issues in the public eye.
05:46Away from the wetlands, she continues her mission to inspire, whether in her studio...
05:52Well, thank you so much for staying tuned on the Halihewa podcast.
05:57...or here at a conference in Nairobi, Abigail Kimma shows how storytelling can amplify ecological solutions
06:04and help a generation to see hope where others see crises.
06:10So today, spending time with Abigail has shown me that telling climate stories isn't just about the data,
06:17it's about the people, it's about their hopes and the power of one voice to spark a wider conversation.
06:23And it's also a reminder that storytelling itself is a form of climate action.
06:28What stands out most is how her platform empowers young people to see themselves as part of the solution,
06:36just like Paul Kaluki has been doing.
06:39It has made me think more deeply about my own role, about how we tell our stories and who gets
06:45to tell them.
06:45Because in the end, the climate story is our collective story and every voice truly matters.
06:53They are tiny, but they keep the world alive.
06:59Pollinators, bees, butterflies and other insects are absolutely vital for biodiversity.
07:07If they disappear, they would be an ecosystem breakdown and food insecurity.
07:15In cities, their habitats are disappearing as trees are being replaced by concrete.
07:22In Kampala, Uganda, activists are taking the issue of pollinator protection to the street.
07:35These runners in Kampala are not running from bees. They are running for them.
07:43This is the first edition of the Kampala Bee Run, a five-kilometre race that wants to raise awareness for
07:49the importance of pollinators like bees and butterflies.
07:56The cities world over, like Kampala, have recorded a decline in the number of pollinators.
08:04A third of the food that we depend on depends on the vital work of these species.
08:12But due to land degradation, loss of habitats for these pollinators, climate change, intense use of pesticides and chemicals,
08:23because their numbers have declined, and we've risked losing them world over.
08:32Hanenten Serwanga is a local environmentalist involved in organizing the bee run.
08:38He is dedicated to transforming empty spaces in Kampala to oases for pollinators.
08:44And that's also what runners and volunteers do along the racetrack of the bee run,
08:49planting trees and flowers that should attract the useful insects.
08:55We are not just going to do the planting, but we are planting species of plants that have nectar,
09:02that can support the diversity of these insects. So we are specifically wanting to focus on nectar,
09:11species of flowers and trees. As we can see, we have a lot of land, but less trees and more
09:17houses.
09:18So we should protect the pollinators by planting more trees, lifting them up and building a better generation.
09:29Our next report comes from Lagos. This is where I live.
09:33And I do love this great big city, but it often grapples with the issue of pollution,
09:39as most other big cities in Africa. As you can see, there is heavy traffic here,
09:44and that's only one of the reasons why air quality is bad. Another is poor waste management.
09:50So what can be done to improve the situation? Well, it starts with getting up early in the morning.
09:58It's six o'clock in the morning in Lagos. These early birds are about to run a marathon.
10:04They're part of a movement called Urban Better Citizens, which is active in a number of African cities.
10:10It integrates physical activity and citizen science, promoting youth participation in its push for
10:18more sustainable and healthier urban environments. We'll be going out with this mobile air quality
10:23sensor and Urban Better Citizens app to collect air quality data and also data about the environment
10:31and equally sensitizing people. And then along the way, when we are going, we use the Urban Better
10:37citizens app to capture what is happening around the environment at that time. Lagos struggles with
10:45bad air quality, especially during the dry season. Gathering data is highly valuable for researchers,
10:52helping them analyze the extent of the problem. The first step in finding solutions.
10:58Air pollution comes from a number of sources, such as cars, open fires, or industrial emissions.
11:06Weather conditions can further influence air quality. Air pollution is measured by looking at certain
11:12chemical compounds in the air we breathe, mostly nitrogen compounds, sulfur oxides, carbon monoxide,
11:19ozone, and particulate matter or fine dust. The marathon runners are helping to create a map of the
11:25city's air quality. Road traffic and diesel generators are among the major pollution sources.
11:32The smoking of fish and open stove cooking, such as in this waterfront settlement,
11:38are further contributing factors. Prolonged exposure to a high concentration of these compounds can severely
11:45damage the lungs and is especially harmful for young and old people. Other members of the general
11:51public use the Citizens Act too, uploading information on the urban environment.
11:56These women have spotted a pile of dumped garbage that has been burnt as the charred remains reveal.
12:03They logged their observation in the data app.
12:08A lot could be fixed with better trash management. Lagos produces 13,000 tons of waste every day.
12:16And the city's two major landfills are already full to the brim.
12:22As the waste breaks down, it releases harmful gases, including methane. The Lagos Waste Management Authority
12:31is in dire need of ideas and alternatives. There are plans for waste-to-energy plants,
12:38a biogas facility which could fuel buses in Lagos, as well as more recovery facilities for recycling waste.
12:47To build citizen awareness, the Lagos Waste Management Authority, or LOMA,
12:52sends advocacy officers to markets to inspect, educate, and help with complaints.
13:01This woman tells them about a problem with waste collection here by a private contractor or PSP operator.
13:09You could see the market woman complaining. We give them the LOMA tow-free line for them to
13:16freely and easily, they can call, it's a tow-free line from an LTE line, for them to pass the
13:22agreements.
13:23Then LOMA has PSP coordinators all across. Where PSP operators are not doing the needful, we call them to order.
13:31There has been progress in other areas. LOMA introduced new recycling and waste bins in 2022,
13:39fitted with a chip to track collection. Households are required by law to buy the bins and subscribe to
13:49weekly pickup, but many just cannot afford the $50 containers, and not all settlements are reachable.
13:59In the meantime, the runners have finished their marathon. The data they collected on their run
14:05reveals heavy pollution in some areas where it exceeds critical levels.
14:10I'm going to go to the graph now. So you can see when we started, it was from moderate and
14:15then going to red.
14:17When we got to some point, it came down to yellow. The smoke kept coming up between
14:23Eladja and Makoko area. You can visibly see it in that place.
14:28They present the data to the Lagos Environmental Protection Agency and discuss ideas to improve the situation.
14:36Even if progress is slow, awareness of air quality is an important step in improving living conditions in Lagos.
14:46Sadly, we all know that rivers are often used as dumping grounds for waste.
14:51We head to Europe, a city in Western Germany, where a group of volunteers meet on a regular basis to
14:59clean a local river.
15:01That might not sound like fun, but this project shows that when people work as a team and share a
15:09purpose,
15:10even collecting garbage, well, can feel rewarding. And sometimes they find the strangest things.
15:23It's a good thing.
15:24Lurking in the river Laan, stuck deep in the mud, an old truck tire.
15:29A challenge for the Laan divers, a volunteer group aiming to clean up the river in their city.
15:38We all know rivers flow into the sea, so if you clean the rivers,
15:42you prevent microplastics and waste from entering the sea. That has a positive impact there too.
15:50A cut from broken glass in the river sparked the group's founding in the city of Marburg in 2020.
15:56The injured woman set out with friends to clean up the swimming area and found the river was a dump.
16:04Jonas has been part of the team for three years. He takes care of salvaging and transportation.
16:13We've just found a trumpet. That's pretty unusual. We more often find bicycles and roadwork signs.
16:23Underwater visibility is extremely poor, dangerous for divers who can get tangled up in fishing lines.
16:30So they use oxygen tanks, even though the river here is only a metre and a half deep.
16:35World War II munitions can also turn up, but fines are often more mundane.
16:41So far, the environmentalists have recovered around 20 tonnes of waste in over 100 dives.
16:48Every bit of waste removed counts.
16:51It's a huge task, but the Laan divers have set themselves a clear goal.
16:56To free their river of trash. 60% of the rubbish is scrap metal, thoughtlessly tossed into the river,
17:02out of sight, out of mind. Raising public awareness of this fragile, complex habitat is just as important.
17:10Here's a European crayfish. Like many of her fellow divers, Annika is training to be a biologist.
17:20We have native mussel species. They filter water. If there are microplastics in the water, they filter less.
17:28These mussels can actually ensure our water is clean, but they can't if they can't filter.
17:34It's a bit frustrating when we see, often near bridges, three more shopping carts and two more bikes,
17:40where we just cleared a month ago. Educating the public is as vital as the dives themselves.
17:47At their information stand, the Laan divers showcase their most unusual finds.
17:53They have more than 15,000 followers on Instagram. Well-known green influencers like marine biologist
18:00Robert Mart Lehmann also support their cause.
18:04The group runs entirely on donations. In 2023, they won the Planet Hero Award,
18:11and 110,000 euros in prize money. It came just in time, as diving and gear are costly.
18:19The Iran-born artist, Ehsan, is also an integral part of the team. He's going to create a sculpture
18:25from the trash. First of all, it's about visualization. For example, two tons of rubbish means nothing.
18:36But when you see an image made from two tons of rubbish, you realize just how much it is.
18:42OK, this is the field growth. This time, Ehsan is going to try his hand
18:47at recreating one of Marburg's landmarks, the Kaiser Wilhelm Tower. Over the course of the day,
18:54he pieces together a 12-meter-long mosaic from the mud-smeared objects, a striking reminder of our
19:01throwaway culture. But the artwork, too, is short-lived. The very next morning,
19:07the scrap ends up at the local recycling center.
19:12Cotton is a natural fiber that is grown across the African continent, but it's not very sustainable.
19:19It needs a lot of water to grow. In a remote part of Senegal, around 200 women have joined forces
19:25to
19:26revive a local cotton-like crop that requires very little water. For centuries, it was used for making
19:33fabric. But the 20th century saw a decline in the use of traditional crops. Now, though, hand-woven
19:39clothes are making a comeback.
19:43The spirit that protects the house. That's the name of this crocheted sculpture that exhibited at the
19:49Dakar Art Biennale in late 2024. It's the work of artist Fatim Soumare and women from five Senegalese
20:02villages. Hundreds of hands were involved in weaving and crocheting this work. That is what gives it its
20:08scale and impact. The idea is that visitors can step under the installation to engage in a dialogue,
20:16with the space and with the installation.
20:24We traveled to the place where the sculpture was made, around 150 kilometers south of Senegal's capital.
20:31The Sin Saloum Delta is a vast labyrinth of water channels and islands.
20:36In the village of Marloge, women have been spinning a locally grown cotton for generations.
20:42The traditional falay thread is made by hand.
20:46Fatim Soumare has revived this almost forgotten craft. She founded the falay collective providing
20:52new equipment, including so-called eshevados, to straighten and wind the thread into bundles
20:57once it's been spun. The women earn the equivalent of 10 euros by spinning one kg of cotton.
21:07This work feeds us and our children. Even if it's just for water, it helps us survive.
21:16I want this work to continue.
21:23This is the end product that we receive in the workshop when we go to the village to collect
21:27these materials. These are magnificent textiles, and as you can see, they vary depending on the hand
21:34that span it. In the Sin Saloum Delta, the plant grows in salty soil where it's able to thrive.
21:46The wild cotton requires no artificial irrigation, no fertilizer or chemicals.
21:52Unlike industrial cotton, which grows in monocultures and devours vast amounts of water,
21:56this plant has adapted to the harsh climate.
22:03This cotton has been here since the time of our ancestors. When I was young,
22:08our parents took us to the fields to harvest it. Our grandfathers taught us how to pick the cotton.
22:14They then softened it with tools and spun it into thread, which they wove into a loincloth.
22:19These loincloths are used for traditional weddings, circumcisions, and accompany our dead to their
22:25final resting place.
22:30The wild cotton is studied at the University of Sheikh Anta Diop in Dakar. Plant biologist
22:36Mustafa Sagna says the species reproduces by creating fibers that envelop the seeds,
22:41ensuring they're carried away by the wind or passing animals.
22:48In fact, when any species produces fiber, that fiber is primarily meant for the purpose of survival.
22:56Of course, we use it for other purposes, but this fiber is basically what allows the species
23:01to spread in its natural environment.
23:08The women are now trying to plant the wild cotton near their villages.
23:12The yarn is processed in the Falle Cooperative Studio. The carpets, cushions, and other pieces
23:17designed here are not yet made entirely from the hand-spun organic cotton.
23:23Harvesting Falle on the remote islands is laborious and expensive.
23:27Its role of Falle yarn involves a lot of work by hand.
23:34As yet, we can't harvest enough fibers from this cotton plant to use it for our creations fully.
23:43But little by little, we are making progress.
23:46We now have a few hand-spun spools of brown cotton.
23:56The wild cotton offers another advantage.
23:58It makes the soil more fertile.
24:01In 2023, women from the Falle Cooperative started an experiment.
24:05They planted 200 seedlings on three hectares of salt-encrusted land.
24:09Only a few survived, but the impact was huge.
24:12For the first time in decades, they were able to grow rice there again.
24:16Now, unusually tall wild grass has taken over the fields.
24:25This was a deserted area with very salty soil.
24:28We started by watering the land and planting small cotton seedlings,
24:32which we were told would help reduce the salinity levels.
24:36As the soil improved, we planted rice.
24:39Now, thanks to God, the salt levels have dropped significantly.
24:46Fatim Sumara has always loved textiles.
24:49Her mother used to dye fabrics for a living.
24:51Today, she's weaving a new sculpture, and not just with any yarn.
24:57I know where it comes from, I know its story, the story of the one who spun it.
25:04I'm carrying on this tradition, weaving myself into a collective practice.
25:09With every thread, she continues the history of the Falle Textile Craftswoman,
25:14the legacy of thousands of hands.
25:18That kind of traditional craftsmanship is so valuable.
25:22It is about history and identity.
25:26And it is also about sustainability.
25:29Well, we hope you enjoyed the show.
25:31So let us know your thoughts by writing to echo at dw.com.
25:35I'm Alama Mukonde in Lusaka, Zambia.
25:38It's goodbye.
25:39And don't forget to check out our social media channels.
25:43Goodbye from me too, Chris Alums in Lagos, Nigeria.
25:47See you next time.
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