Our speaker tour is over but the action is just starting

Eight events in towns and cities across the UK, two amazing activists from South Africa, local speakers, and countless train journeys.... our speaker tour, ‘Africa demands climate justice’ has just come to an end.

However, we were determined when planning this speaker tour that we would avoid simply creating a series of one-off events that people attended and left, feeling better informed about climate justice but taking little else away.

We aimed to galvanize people into planning actions between now and the UN climate talks in Durban, starting on 28 November. We’ve seen some really exciting discussions taking place and it’s incredible how much energy can be created in a room, when a number of like-minded people come together, fired up by the very real stories of injustice faced by poor communities in South Africa.

We know that it’s vital that WDM’s work with our allies in the global south incorporates the opportunity for UK campaigners to hear directly from southern activists. As one WDM group member said: “It's personal stories and experiences like Bongani's that keep me inspired.”

Actions discussed have included the idea of a climate caravan, starting in the north of England and moving south to London, culminating in the global day of action on Saturday 3 December. This would take place in solidarity with the Trans-Africa Climate Caravan of Hope which is moving through eight countries and covering a distance of over 7,000 km; ending in Durban.

We would aim to highlight what we’ve heard from Bandile and Bongani, our two speakers, ensuring that people in the UK are clear about the need for our government to listen to those who are already deeply affected by climate change and the nefarious role of the World Bank but remain largely ignored in the endless rounds of international talks about how to tackle this crisis. 

We also talked about the need to lobby Chris Huhne, secretary of state for energy and climate change, and how we can bring our messages to his doorstep in his constituency of Eastleigh.

Very many thanks to everyone who attended our eight events over the past two weeks and who made them such lively events. If you weren’t able to attend or there wasn’t an event near you can check out our interview with Bandile Mdlalose. WDM will be following the mobilisations happening in Durban at the time of the talks, so keep an eye on our website if you'd like to stay updated.