The Herds: Africa’s Climate Parade

Instead of just showing charts and stats about climate change, Africa is taking a more personal approach. This year, a cool event called “The Herds” united people, artists, and activists from all over the continent. They used giant animal puppets to share stories about our planet’s problems. Then, have local artists operate them in parades that move through African cities, eventually making their way to the Arctic Circle. It’s more than just fun; it’s art with a purpose, encouraging people to reconsider how we interact with the environment.

A Parade Born from Urgency
Africa’s Horn region is seeing dry farmlands because of droughts. Mozambique is hit hard by cyclones. Sudan’s floods are forcing people to leave their homes, and the Sahel is slowly turning into a desert. These disasters don’t usually get as much global notice as storms in other places. The Herds was created to bring attention to Africa’s problems and to show how strong and creative its people are.This project was inspired by Little Amal, a huge puppet of a Syrian refugee girl. Her walk across Europe sparked conversations about migration. We figured, if one puppet could have that kind of , why not use a group of animals? They could stand for Africa’s varied wildlife and how climate change puts it at risk.

Communities at the Center

What makes The Herds special isn’t just the puppets, but the people who made them. Talented artists, kids, and volunteers from cities like Lagos, Kinshasa, Dakar, and Nairobi used recycled stuff like fabrics, plastics, and metals to bring them to life. The workshops became fun, creative gatherings where everyone worked together.

The puppet route goes north, aiming for the Arctic Circle, which is also hurt by climate change. In Lagos, people used the parade to push for fair climate solutions, asking rich countries to keep their promises to pay for ways to adjust to climate change. In Nairobi, scientists walked with the parade to show how rising temperatures are changing where animals go in Kenya. The puppets helped connect art, science, activism, and culture.

Some critics might call these events just symbolic. But symbols are important. The Herds made people who often feel left out of climate talks feel like they had a stake in the issue and feel good about it. It also gave them hope when environmental talk is often gloomy.The parade also got leaders and officials talking since they went to the events. Because global media was there, Africa’s climate story got to homes all over the world.

The puppets are going to the Arctic, leaving a message in their wake. The point? To show climate change impacts real people, communities, and animals, not just be about numbers and financial matters ; they all deserve to thrive.

Africa’s use of puppets drove home the climate crisis to many. It served as a reminder that sometimes the most impactful messages come not from talks or documents, but from the whimsical movements of large animal figures in our towns.