Youth climate justice concert in Lilongwe
Faith organisations, joined by youth groups will on 13th November 2011 hold what is arguably Malawi’s most hyped campaign to promote action on climate change.
Dubbed ‘Africa Climate Change Campaign –We Have Faith concert, the event, which will attract youth and delegates from other African countries, the United Kingdom and Norway, will be held at Civo Stadium in the capital, Lilongwe.
Reports say a rise in global temperatures, largely attributed to human action, has contributed to depleted water resources, soil erosion and reduced crop yields.
Organising task team member and spokesman for the Malawi Council of Churches (MCC), M’theto Lungu, said the concerts has been organised to draw attention to impacts of climate change.
He said the concerts will end in Durban, South Africa at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s conference called COP-17 from November 28 to December 9.
“As the church we saw it fit that we live by our expectations to preserve the earth. God created the world and gave its dominion over to man. He charged man with its care and this is what we are bent at promoting. Christianity has a role to play in both climate change and justice matters,” Lungu said.
“Environmental change affects not only humans as is the case with the HIV and AIDS pandemic, climate change affects every living and non-living thing,” he said.
Lungu said apart from the faith youth from UK, Norway, Kenya and Tanzania the Malawi youth artists, including Lloyd Phiri and Dan Lu will also perform.
“We again expect youth from around the cities chools and communities to be part of the grand event.”
About 200 young people traveling in a caravan of buses will arrive in Malawi for climate change campaign on 11th November 2011.
“We are going to receive the group of youths from the Tanzanian border and make stops in Karonga, Mzuzu City, and Kasungu boma to hike up the awareness,” said Lungu.
“This process is about making people in these countries, including Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa where the ‘We have faith’ Youth Caravan will pass, to realise that climate change is a serious matter that needs everyone’s concern,” he added
The youth are looking for legally binding agreements which are internationally acceptable. The activists also want an extension of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, the international agreement setting greenhouse-gas reduction targets for 37 industrialized countries.
The concert will be preceded by a Youth Caravan drive around Lilongwe City, starting from Lilongwe Golf Club, Lilongwe Hotel, Kagame Highway, Area 18 Round-About, Area 10, Area 12, Presidential Drive, Capital Hotel Round-About, New Parliament Building Round-About, Natural Sanctuary, Kamuzu Institute for Youth, Kawale, Biwi, Mchesi, PMF, Old Town, Lilongwe Bridge, Town Hall Round-About, Crossroads Hotel/Mchinji Round-About, and finally into Civo Stadium from 9am on 13th November 2011.
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