What’s the first thing you think of when you hear ‘Africa’?
We’ve all heard the stereotypes: that the continent is ridden with poverty and disease, or perhaps that it’s just one vast jungle.
In reality, Africa is a land of incredible natural wealth, innovation and inspiration – which is why we’ve invited young creators from across Africa and the African diaspora to flip the script and share their own narratives with the world.
Ahead of GLF Africa 2024: Greening the African Horizon, we received hundreds of stories that paint a picture of hope and resilience in the face of the mounting climate and biodiversity crises.
Here are the three winners of the 2024 African Youth Storytelling Contest. We hope you find their stories as inspiring as we did.
Imagine witnessing your country collapsing into civil war.
Gunfights erupt on the streets. Scores of innocent civilians lose their lives. Children stop going to school. Torture, kidnappings and other human rights abuses become the order of the day.
Years go by, and nothing changes. The rest of the world turns a blind eye.
But still, you cling onto hope that things will get better – not only for your long-suffering people, but for all of humanity.
That’s the premise of this heartfelt audio story that won the hearts of our judges.
In 2017, Anglophone separatists in Cameroon proclaimed the Federal Republic of Ambazonia: a yet unrecognized breakaway region in the west of the country.
Seven years of guerrilla warfare later, more than 6,000 civilians have died, with another 700,000 internally displaced.
“Buea, the capital of the Southwest Region and my favorite city in Cameroon, has deteriorated due to the sociopolitical crisis,” says Tuombouh Sandra Fehnui, a poet and aspiring journalist and the author of our winning story.
“The friendliest city has become dangerous and dirty, and it no longer looks like home. Due to disorder and unrest, climate change is being neglected, and nobody seems to be working on a solution.”
“In 5 Years to Come” is a stark call to action directed at young people in Cameroon and across Africa to learn lessons from the past and strive to do better.
“For people to actually realize and accept that there is a problem, they need to revisit the past and study how things were before,” Fehnui says.
“Storytelling is really important to unearth these narratives of the past to revive the future and make it livable.”
“Roots for Riches” tells the story of an old man from the coast of Kenya, Mzee Katana, who decides to sell an old baobab tree for USD 400 – a sizable sum for many rural Kenyans.
“In no time, the wrath of the unforgiving Mother Nature catches up with him,” says our storyteller, climate journalist Risper Wachuka Kiama. The fish have all gone, leaving the elder and his family with little to eat.
“Amid all the chaos, Mzee Katana comes to realize for the first time that it was his fault for selling the baobab, and it is his responsibility to take care of his environment,” Kiama concludes.
Mzee Katana, of course, is all of us – each slowly chipping away at the Earth’s natural riches.
“This story aims to create awareness about the importance of baobabs and the need to protect them and our ecosystems,” Kiama explains, adding that her story was inspired by an unfortunate series of true events.
“Baobabs from the Kenyan coast were uprooted in 2021 to be transported to a botanical park in Georgia,” she recalls.
“Due to ‘artificial obstacles,’ they only made it to Georgian soil in 2023. After six months, they had all died.”
Perhaps our third-placed entry might be better titled “Why Don’t You Farm?”
Filmed on two farms in Uganda and Kenya, this short documentary is an ode to the fine art of farming – a much maligned profession that nonetheless feeds us all.
“There is infinite value in connecting with the land, taking care of it and humanizing it,” says filmmaker Aida Namukose, a Ugandan eco-feminist and climate storyteller based in Kenya.
Namukose created this film while staying at a farm and agricultural research center where farmers and scientists work side by side to develop and adopt new sustainable farming methods.
“It reminded me of my childhood growing up on a farm and the ideal life I envision for myself,” she reflects.
“I was also inspired by the young people working there. Farming tends to be seen as a dirty job, and I wanted to know why they do this work.”
Stay tuned for more highlights from the 2024 African Youth Storytelling Contest on the GLF website and social media channels.
Quotes have been edited for length and clarity.
Finally…
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