Artivist protest outside African Energy Week in Cape Town

On Tuesday, environmental activists from several organisations, opposed to extraction projects, protested outside the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) where the African Energy Chamber, and the African Energy Week conference is taking place.

The activists held an ‘artivism’ themed demonstration to display how companies are threatening people’s livelihoods and the environment by planning to extract oil off South Africa’s coastline. The group of dancers used movement and storytelling to highlight the risks of offshore oil and gas projects, and the dire effects on coastal communities.

Liziwe McDaid, strategic lead at the Green Connection, said, they are aware that the agenda inside the conference will be about promoting fossil fuels and making a profit out of oil and gas. “We are here to wake them up, to say that climate change is real. The only impacts on Africa from the continued exploitation of these fossil fuels, will be negative. We will risk droughts, floods, hunger and migration. So the benefits will be for the few elite, and the foreign companies who bring their money and want it back. The ordinary people, who just want to live and who want a lifestyle that enables them to meet their family’s needs and be successful – they will bear the brunt of this exploitation,” said McDaid.

She said on the ground, communities must try and get informed about climate change. “Many people on the ground think these natural disasters happen because they did something wrong and maybe God is punishing them. But climate change is real, it is caused by human activity. Get informed, and know what’s coming your way. Think about what you can do to build a resilient community: how you can grow food differently, how you can save water.

“Even if we were to stop the oil companies tomorrow, climate change would continue. Communities must express their concerns about climate change. They must go to their local councilors or the local radio station and voice out what they are experiencing. The more voices are raised, the more the government will listen,” said McDaid.

Youth climate activist from Project 90 by 2030, Gabriel Klassen, said, “The exploitation of oil and gas in Africa will not give young people jobs and will definitely not put food on the table. We have to take a stand and speak up for the communities that could not be present here today. Ours is to stand in solidarity with those communities on the frontline. When we talk about justice, action and solidarity. We need to understand that, our freedom was not won because people rested. People continued to fight.”

Advocacy officer for the Green Connection, Lisa Makaula added that they want to raise awareness about fossil fuel projects. “We are facing climate change and it seriously affects marginalised communities. They bear the brunt of decisions made by people in high offices and never get to have a say on these projects. Today, we want to highlight the need for our government to prioritise having initiatives that will push for investment in renewable energy and ensure that those employed in the fossil fuel industry are re-skilled,” Makaula explained.

She said, they hope many people will get to understand that climate change begins with decisions that are made in such conferences.

Extinction Rebellion, Greenpeace Africa and the African Climate Alliance supported the protest. Judy Scott-Goldman, spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion, said, “The people coming to this conference will be promising jobs. But they will not say anything about the jobs they will be destroying. Farmers’ livelihoods are being destroyed on a daily basis. We say no to oil and gas exploitation. It’s immoral, that the elite will only get richer, while the people on the ground will be getting poorer.”

While addressing the conference inside the CTICC, the executive chairman of the African Energy Chamber, Nj Ayuk was quoted by the media as having emphasised that investment in the oil and gas sector remains a cornerstone for job creation, economic freedom, and overall development across the continent.