This is the summary video for our 2019 Lost Species Day programme: Generations.

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

To mark Lost Species Day 2019, ONCA collaborated with artist Deru Anding, researchers from the University of Brighton, Youth Strike 4 Climate Brighton and other amazing environmental justice activists to create Generations. This was a creative, educational exhibition and programme of environmental justice events that explored the tensions between remembering and renewal in apocalyptic times.

In the ONCA Gallery, Deru Anding showed an inspiring series of large panoramic drawings which evoked the forest and community where he grew up. Deru now lives and works as an architect and artist in London, but he was born and raised amongst the Bidayuh Tribe in the jungle of northwest Borneo. Over the past two decades, 75% of Deru’s homeland has been destroyed for palm oil plantations, logging, and other developments.

The exhibition, which was curated by ONCA’s Susuana Amoah, aimed to raise awareness of protests against ongoing tropical deforestation and encourage solidarity with indigenous communities.

The first event of the programme was our Slow Fashion panel discussion, where we were joined by Eshita Kabra-Davies, the founder of By Rotation, and Paola Masperi, the founder of Mayamiko. Together we talked about the growth of the ‘slow fashion’ movement in response to concerns about how fast fashion is negatively impacting the environment.

Next, in the lead-up to the November Youth Strike 4 Climate demo which asked people to mobilise against the fast fashion industry, we faciltated a fun day of making, mending and upcycling at ONCA Gallery with Climate Action Movement and Queer Crafts Club.

We were excited to welcome climate justice activist Suzanne Dhaliwal to talk about her anti-oppression and diversity work in climate activism.

We also co-hosted a film screening and discussion event exploring the loss of forest cultures and livelihoods in Borneo.

ONCA marked Remembrance Day for Lost Species with a ritual on the beach and an afternoon of conversations in the gallery.

Joshua Virasami came to ONCA along with Kieran Kirkwood of Wretched of the Earth for an evening of conversation about climate justice activism, the Green New Deal and ways to organise and build solidarity across borders and between communities.

And last but not least, ONCA co-hosted a Brighton Student Climate Networking Event with Youth Strike for Climate. We invited Brighton and Hove university and college students for an evening of talks and creative activities to generate conversation and connections amongst students working on action for climate justice.

The event was led by student activists from NUS, Decolonise Sussex, Climate Action Movement and Global Justice Now Brighton.

We hope that this array of events helped to shine a light on indigenous narratives and, most of all, generate support for local, transnational and intergenerational solidarity.