Human rights leader Kumi Naidoo concludes the Top 100 leadership programme

In October 2021 Sheila Funnell and Akshay Vishwanath hosted a webinar with guest speaker Kumi Naidoo as part of the Top 100 Young African Conservation Leaders (YACL) leadership development programme. The Top100 YACL is a collaboration between the African Alliance of YMCAs, World Organisation of the Scout Movement, African Wildlife Foundation, and World Wildlife Fund, to empower the efforts of young, talented Africans in achieving their vision for a more sustainable future that incorporates the integrity of the natural world to ensure nature and people will thrive for generations to come.

The year 2021 was a momentous one for the conservation sector with global events such as the World Conservation Congress and the COP26 Climate Change Conference all aiming to address some of the biggest environmental problems our world continues to face. These challenges are both numerous and varied, ranging from pollution, food waste, climate change, and biodiversity loss to name a few. But the key question as all these dialogues and conventions are held is how to inspire and motivate young conservation leaders to act and build successful movements amid all the “blah blah blah”?

Kumi Naidoo is a human rights and environmental activist. Through his pioneering and influential work, he has been a leader in the field of environmental activism. Critically, he has focused on supporting African youth and uses his platform to raise voices that may otherwise not be heard. He has sought environmental justice throughout his life. During this discussion, Kumi shared his thoughts on how youth in Africa can continue to work towards a sustainable future while encompassing a shared vision across the continent. He strongly believes that if each one of us deliberately makes one positive move, we will be closer to achieving the future we all strive for. Here are some of the pivotal discussion points that inspired us as co-hosts of the webinar and young changemakers with programs we are implementing on the ground:

THE NEED FOR CHANGE

As the global biodiversity and climate crisis unfold at an alarming rate, it is becoming quite apparent that global economic and governance systems of commerce require innovation, re-design, and transformation. We cannot afford to turn a blind eye to the root causes of our problems and be well-adjusted to our unjust systems. Rather, we need creative maladjustment to reject the status quo and believe that we can redesign and rebuild more sustainable approaches.

Our conservation problems are also governance, human rights, and development problems. These are two sides of the same coin, and we undeniably need a new environmental movement that incorporates and addresses both sets of challenges together.

As the famous quote goes: “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” We can see the pushback on the environmental movement from proponents of the current global system. This means we are close to victory. No time in history are people so ready for change. We just need to redirect our energy so that it is effective, impactful, and self-sustaining.

HOLDING THOSE IN POWER TO ACCOUNT

Unjust systems are created and maintained by the few who stand to gain the most from such systems. Therefore, one of the fundamental responsibilities of new leadership is the continued ability and boldness to speak out and stand up to corrupt and non-progressives. We must constantly convey the severity of the crises to the public as we seek to convert the current repression into inspiration and energy for action.

SACRIFICE AND COLLABORATION

For most people thinking about activism, one of the biggest considerations is the level of sacrifice one must make to achieve one’s goals. The message reiterated is that to truly make a difference, we need not the big sacrifices of the few, but the small sacrifices of the many.  And that is what makes a movement powerful. And for the truly dangerous work, one must aim to give the rest of one’s life for the cause, not sacrifice your life for it.

Building a movement also implies collaboration. We first need to bring people on board. This requires us to begin with where people are and not talk down to them. We need to speak to them in the language they understand. “Go to the people, start from what they know, build on what they understand, so when the struggle is won, they believe they did it themselves”. Our culture and behavior influence the politics of the day, so we need to create the incentives and structures that change this behavior and culture. This in turn necessitates work at the grassroots going up, rather than top-down approaches that are rarely practical.

Movements are about the participation of ordinary people. Instead of focusing on what people don’t have, we should pay attention and learn about the immense capabilities and power they have and leverage those skills and resources. Youth must learn to do what they can with what they have – for example, we can aggregate and leverage the creative talents of individuals, their commitment to volunteerism, etc (link to Kumi’s People’s Pathway to Climate Justice). We need to build the agency and provide a space for ordinary people to be part of the struggle.

A BOLD, NEW LEADERSHIP

If our goal is a better world, then hope is our fuel. To be bold leaders, we need to dream big and not be restricted by the views of others. As young leaders, we should do things differently to get the better results we seek. We need fresh solutions to these dated problems and we need them now because the world is at a tipping point.

The leadership burden is best carried when shared. New leaders should create “leaderful” organizations or movements – multiple leaders and diversity of views in the organization, a culture of honesty, clarity, integrity, communication, attentive listening, and collective action. We need to organize and mobilize more effectively. Map out power dynamics and address them. Set up coalitions that build on and incorporate the diversity of views and strategies rather than going along with one dominant worldview. Be mindful of the end goal and not where the credit will go. Build respectful conversations that build bridges instead of creating enemies of those who think and act differently.

Finally, let us build hope and optimism in our work. Let us encourage and celebrate each other. We are most impactful when we collaborate widely and have the greatest number of people fighting on our side. Let us use the impatience of activism and get everyone to change the system!