The waters are raging and it is affecting all of us.
The last decade has seen an extraordinary increase in and widespread occurrence of extreme climate conditions globally. Floods, wildfires, prolonged droughts, hurricanes and more repeatedly batter the world around us with seemingly no place left unscathed. In their wake, a deluge of destruction and death, and millions of lives upended, forced out of their homes, seeking new roots in places foreign, cramped and unwelcoming. For Island nations like Tuvalu, relocation of an entire population a must given the sinking of their homeland, overwhelmed by rising water levels.
Across Africa, extreme weather patterns are reshaping once-lush regions into arid landscapes, exacerbating the aridity of already parched areas just as raging waters leave havoc and turmoil in their wake in other places. In Uganda, my home country, known for its dependable tropical climate, rainfall periods have become shorter or extended, often accompanied by harsher droughts and mudslides, particularly in the eastern and northeastern regions. In Northern Kenya, residents grapple with a persistent drought that’s placing rural communities at an elevated risk of famine. Southern Africa reels from compromised agro-productivity and looming Day Zeros as water shortages spread. Libya embarks on an arduous path to recovery following the devastation wrought by Storm Daniel at the beginning of September 2023.
With compromised food security, and heightened community tensions as these violently compete for greatly reduced natural resources, climate migration is no longer a new phenomenon. These are but a few glimpses into the “new normal” for over 3 billion people in developing countries who face the brunt of the climate crisis. Stark reminders of the urgent need for decisive and comprehensive global climate action and the need for increased meaningful inclusion of African voices in the global discussions to address climate change.
For these reasons and more, we felt it pertinent to have Climate Change as the central theme for the BOLD 2023 Continental Call. We are aware that the voices of those most profoundly affected by climate change have historically been unrepresented in global discussions on climate action and firmly believe that storytelling possesses the power to connect us in a continental and global resolve to address this global human challenge.
The submissions we received demonstrate this. While most centred on current events some used these to project futures that were at times hopeful but mostly dire for the continent. While the Climate Change conversation now permeates our collective consciousness, resonating in the halls of schools, corridors of power, conversations in our homes and workplaces, and among the passionate voices advocating for change, it still remains an abstract concept often shrouded in the mystical, mythical or conspiratorial. Nonetheless, this talking point has evolved into an undeniable and formidable reality for those in the Southern Hemisphere, who are particularly vulnerable to its effects. The lack of immediate seismic change in global and government climate policies, coupled with the insufficient government-backed initiatives to protect and support the most vulnerable, paints a grim outlook for the everyday African. Exacerbated by their exclusion from meaningful dialogue on climate change responses and interventions for those most affected.
In the winning story, An Ark on the Confluence, Abdulrahim Hussani, through the voice of a teenage protagonist, captures the desperation of communities in the aftermath of massive flooding. Clinging on for survival, willing themselves to live surrounded by death, loss, and despair. Bereft, they listen as empty words fill up their minds.
The First runner-up, No Water For Lemonade by Mihlali Mbobo is a heart-wrenching tale of a family navigating the devastation wrought on their treasured way of life by an extended drought. While life gives you lemons, make lemonades they say, but what happens when there’s no water for even that? Against the backdrop of Cape Town preparing for Day Zero, the main character questions years of back-breaking work now brought to nought and the future of local farmers caught in the web of extortionate multinational agribusinesses. Death is a more palatable option than continuing on in this new normal.
Set in 2043, Black Swan, by Tom Okafor Chukwuemeka paints a dire future. Using parallel timelines he traces the complacency in government response beginning half a century prior to the story’s central timeline. Once again a teenage protagonist showcasing what awaits future generations and as she cautions we ponder water’s duality.
Closing out the short stories section are Soot of Death by Sophia Adepoju and Raindance in a Wasteland by Banabas Karuma. In the former, Ama, our protagonist is a reluctant hero journeying home on the heels of news of her mother’s tragic passing. With no time to mourn, she is cast into protecting a much-needed solution to the air pollution that the inhabitants of Oloibiri, her hometown, a fictional state in Nigeria are facing. The latter is a dystopian narrative set in post-apocalyptic Zimbabwe where a family of three, a mother and her teenage son and daughter, struggle to survive both human threats and the punishing landscape. The discovery of their life-source by a group of marauders quickly keen becomes a battle of wits as the teenagers reach beyond their physical strength to protect their semblance of life.
The Poetry section opens with A Rain Cloud Is A Ballot Box by Chioniso Tsikisayi, the winning poem for the Bold 2023 Call. This satirical piece centres on the grim and dire picture the writers in this section paint for Africa. Together with Labour Pains by Loretta Kansiime, Litany of Ruin by Adesiya Oluwapelumi, and rounded out by Hostage by Lennox Juma and Africa in Ashes by Allen Tatah Laika the poetry herein takes us on a journey through what humanity has done to Mother Nature, with each piece offering a unique perspective and style. The poets crafted their verses to convey the urgency and complexity of environmental issues, capturing the intricate relationship between mankind and the natural world. Through vivid imagery, evocative metaphors, and thought-provoking narratives, these poets illuminated the consequences of our actions, serving as a mirror reflecting the damage we’ve caused.
We trust that you’ll find these stories and poems to be as captivating as we did. Our hope is that they go beyond mere enjoyment and inspire you to become an advocate for both global and local climate change action, as well as the establishment of essential safeguards for those who are most vulnerable to extreme weather events.
We celebrate all the authors who contributed to this issue and are excited to see them experiment with genres and style in their writing. The specificity of young protagonists didn’t go unnoticed; they were reminders that it is these young people and future generations that are set to incur the worst of the consequences of past and current inactivity to mitigate climate change.
We thank our team of guest editors, achelam, Crystal B. Rutangye, Caroline O. Karungi, Patricia L. Acen, and Ssebo Lule and the Judges, Loic Ekinga, Roland Byagaba, and Davina Philomena Nassozi-Kawuma for their contribution to Bold 2023.
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