Issue: Raging Waters: Stories and Poems on Climate Change

With compromised food security, and heightened community tensions as these violently compete for greatly reduced natural resources, climate migration is no longer a new phenomenon. These are but a few glimpses into the “new normal” for over 3 billion people in developing countries who face the brunt of the climate crisis. Stark reminders of the urgent need for decisive and comprehensive global climate action and the need for increased meaningful inclusion of African voices in the global discussions to address climate change.

For these reasons and more, we felt it pertinent to have Climate Change as the central theme for the BOLD 2023 Continental Call. We are aware that the voices of those most profoundly affected by climate change have historically been unrepresented in global discussions on climate action and firmly believe that storytelling possesses the power to connect us in a continental and global resolve to address this global human challenge. 

The submissions we received demonstrate this. While most centred on current events some used these to project futures that were at times hopeful but mostly dire for the continent. While the Climate Change conversation now permeates our collective consciousness, resonating in the halls of schools, corridors of power, conversations in our homes and workplaces, and among the passionate voices advocating for change, it still remains an abstract concept often shrouded in the mystical, mythical or conspiratorial. Nonetheless, this talking point has evolved into an undeniable and formidable reality for those in the Southern Hemisphere, who are particularly vulnerable to its effects. The lack of immediate seismic change in global and government climate policies, coupled with the insufficient government-backed initiatives to protect and support the most vulnerable, paints a grim outlook for the everyday African. Exacerbated by their exclusion from meaningful dialogue on climate change responses and interventions for those most affected.