The Earth Warrior

Beyond speaking for the environment, this anthology gives a fresh insight to our view of the environment as captured in its title which is Voices of the Earth and not Voices for the Earth. This points that we are aware of the possibility that the natural environment is not merely an object to be acted on, but a subject endowed with agency. And in deed some of the poets in this anthology do speak with, and to nature. Equally, through some of the poems, we see some elements of na ture speaking to humans and empathizing with our pain and violation. The bold statement we hear from this anthology is that even though it needs to be spoken for, the environment too, does speak; and if it speaks, then we should listen. Reading and reflecting on these poems is a first step towards listening. Miriam Maranga-Musonye (PhD) Senior Lecturer, Department of Literature University of Nairobi. www.espa.or.ke

The Kingdom of earth event was the 1 st showcase of ‘Green Art.’ The show tackled the voice, face and feelings of our environment on matters of waste, over-consumption and deforestation. The show gave the audience an experience of spoken word poetry from award winning G-cho Pevu, Slam King Dorphan, Namatsi Lukoye, Rosenn and music from Luki the Monster, Namulindwa, Mwas the guitarist and Madagascar hiphop artists Name six. It also had dance from Adam Dance Academy, ecofashion from Namatsi, Street Pulse Edgy and make up from Jaybee Urembo. For the face of the earth, there was a display of artworks made from recycled material from G-thamini Youth Group and Nani Kitengela Glass. the event was made possible by Safaricom MJ Centre and Maji Milele Ltd . It was also supported by Nature Kenya, Nani’s Kitengela Glass, Momo Pencils, G-thamini Youth Group, KBC and Kenya Volunteer Service Organization. www.espa.or.ke

When we pollute and over-exploit our natural environment we risk increasing occurrences of famine, droughts, floods, heatwaves, diseases and extinction. With increasing population the ability of the earth’s resources to support human livelihoods will be unsustainable if we continue this way; we need education and social leadership to shift values away from income and consumption as estimators of self-worth. The ESPA initiative was formed to bring forth a unique angle in environmental sustainability and climate change conversation.  Led by Willem Malaba and Namatsi Lukoye who firmly believe that art is a tool of change.  Through working with artists, ESPA intends to bring more urgency and clarity to climate change discussions. The artists we work with contribute in addressing climate change mitigation and adaptation, environmental degradation and sustainability and other factors concerning our lives on this planet.  Our aim is to provide a unique edge for creati...