The Eco Poets

 

The Eco Poets, eight poets overall, aim to use poetry to raise awareness about climate change in Kano State, Nigeria. They have written and filmed 12 poems that they share online and in person. In the first quarter of the Fellowship program, they posted two of their poems online, ‘The Green,’ and ‘The Future of Kano: Mitigating the impacts of climate change.’ Collectively, the poems reached an online audience of over 12,000 people.

Their in person outreach goal is to reach 5,000 youth. To date, they have performed at two colleges, reaching 350 students, and received a lot of positive feedback.

“While recording our videos, a member of our crew (audio recorder) confronted me with a smile on his face, saying that this was the first time he’s hearing about climate change, and that working with us has been the most impactful project he has even engaged himself in. This statement added to my confidence and faith in my project and the impact it would have on the members of my community. Something that started as a mere idea is now changing people’s lives and perceptions.” 

–2024 Fellow, Shamsuddeen Abdulkareem