By Emmanuel Gyezaho
I had the pleasure of attending a workshop on communication for climate change at the Commonwealth Peoples Forum. I must admit, I am no expert on climate issues - in fact until this week, my general view was that environment issues aren’t such a big deal.
I am pretty sure there are thousands of people out there, equally inhibited, either because the media [which obviously sets the agenda], has not really focused on the problems of climate change or because, even when it has, the information has been packaged so badly that it raises little interest.
That is why the British Council in conjunction with Futerra organized a 
workshop to devise new communication tactics for climate change at the Commonwealth Peoples Forum in Kampala.
Citing the example of Lisa Simpson of the famous Simpsons Cartoon,
Erica Jobson lead facilitator at the workshop, showed delegates that information on climate change can be effectively packaged through animation, art and music, in more appealing ways than through drab graphical statistics and charts.
Erica’s PowerPoint presentation can be downloaded here.
She spoke to Emmanuel Gyezaho about the need to effectively communicate climate change.
Click to download a low bandwidth file here, or press play below:
However, one of the participants, Kwesi Anderson, an environmentalist from Ghana, believes the real challenge lies in the execution of points of action on the part of policy makers, the political class and individual people.
Click to download a low bandwidth file here, or press play below:
Great thanks to the organisers of this first ever plat form upon which the common man can access, use and share knowledge regarding the problems affecting our communities and countries at large.
My first issue to appreciate is the fact that these fora are here at a time when our environment in at stake, just afew days ago we lost four people to the floods was such as bad.
wheras we could have reverted the disaster by a mere simple measure of draining our channels.As a youth and an environmental activist, though it is not my habit to qurrel when visitors are in the compound, the environment issue should not go without much emphasis and thus pressure for funding from Government.
It has been typical of the common wealth, just like any other fora, to discuss and with less success on implementation.
I have followed with keen interest the deliberations of the youth forum,but i don’t regret that i was not part because my views are part.
Now the task is on our dear leaders to implement,for us the best we can do is give recommendations given the the budget for youth and the fact that our issues are cross cutting.
To my dear public members. Sparing some little time even from your busy schedule is the greatest thing you can do to your country. Remember your activism especially in environment matters is vital.
Remember, Mabira forest is alive because of some people who out of activism made it hard for some selfish people to destroy it.
One thing i ask of the participants of these meetings. Networking, as a tool to promote this activism. This will obviously enable us make our governments accountable in terms of conservation and resource use.
Let’s make an environment favourable for us and those after!
The writer is Ugandan, youth-reseacher and environmental activist.
By mbonigaba vianney