NJOYA URGES ARTISTES INVOLVEMENT IN CLIMATE CHANGE
Written by Millennium on October 1, 2019
TERENCE MISELO Writes
@SunZambian
The narrative on climate change will be incomplete without musicians and artistes’ participation, effort and voice says former Zambia Association of Musicians leader Njoya Tembo.
Tembo who is also a musician and political activist said this to add a voice to the nation address by the Republican President Edgar Chagwa Lungu.
He said climate change has no secret code as its effects were everywhere for all to see and affecting everyone including musicians’ work citing difficulties to record and/or perform as schedules for electricity load shedding are unpredictable sometimes.
Tembo said despite government investing in hydropower since independence, the rain remains the number one driver of the sector. Therefore, no scientific explanation is required as to why load sheding and low crop yield in some parts of the country has manifested.
“The Kariba is dry as a result, so are dams, swamps, streams etc. in parts of the country”, Njoya said.”Some of the possible solutions that need to be discussed at length must involve around solar, wind, gas as alternatives”, he advised.
Njoya was quick to sound a warning on the dangers of the current situation as he felt that the ordinary rural citizen will obviously be kept busy in cutting down trees to meet demand for charcoal in the cities. “This is where artistes are required. To transmit the information on how best we could survive the threat of making the climate change extreme.” Njoya added. ” Is it possible to prepare more trees to plant in the advent or onset of the rains?”, he asked.”How much are councils around the country especially rural helping in protecting forests in the midst of climate change? For every tree cut, is one made to pay or plant trees to compensate?” he asked provocatively.
Njoya implored concerned organisations including government, business communities and civil society to integrate artists in their efforts to disseminate information on climate change. He believes that artists have a unique way of making the most complicated and sensitive matter simple, easy and bearable. He explained on how it’s now easy to relate on matters of HIV AIDS (prevention and medication) or homosexuality. ‘Kuntopiga’, ‘yakumbuyo’ … made it easy for people to easily use those words without necessarily offending their audiences including on radio and television. Njoya retaliated on the important role Zambian musicians have made over the years and revered them as ‘champions of change’.
“Very soon, we would hear the local dialectic expression of climate change”, he assured.
