I came to know Lekwa and Shelot after reaching out to folks at The Eco-Anxiety Africa Project (TEAP) wanting to hear from young climate leaders about eco-anxiety and other climate-related emotions, different ways to cope with these feelings, and specifically African perspectives in relation to a changing climate. 

Concern about climate change is a global reality, with almost seven in ten people agreeing that it is “a very, or extremely serious, problem.” This concern resides in our bodies, affecting our emotions and overall health. Within that gigantic segment of concerned global citizens are people from many walks of life: young and old, publics and policy-makers, artists and business executives, islanders, desert farmers and major city-dwellers. The point is: no one is exempt from the effects of climate change, it is indiscriminate, as youth climate leader Lekwa Hope reminds us. At the same time, countries in the Global South – particularly South Africa, Chile, Kenya and the Philippines – showed the highest levels of concern. 

Lekwa Hope and Shelot Masithi share their personal stories of understanding eco-emotions from their unique positions in the world. Lekwa is a sustainability champion and researcher with a focus on climate change, economic development, and closing the gap in climate education in Nigeria. Shelot is a young environmental activist from South Africa and the founder of She4Earth, an organisation educating children and youths about environmental crises with solutions rooted in Ubuntu. 

Read Lekwa’s interview  / Read Shelot’s interview

Interviews by Maddy Kelly

FIND OUT MORE 

Join Shelot Masithi and Lekwa Hope In Conversation: Eco-anxiety informed by African Perspectives on 21 May, 4pm–5pm (WAT/BST). Please note this event is free but you have to register via this link. If you wish to donate then head to The Eco-Anxiety Africa Project (TEAP).