Yola Mgogwana

Yola Mgogwana (born 2008) is a South African climate activist from Cape Town.[1]

Life

Mgogwana's activism started in 2019, when she was just eleven years old, after she became concerned about pollution, unusual weather patterns, and a looming water crisis in her country.[2] She has been an inspiration for youth in Africa to join her in her fight for climate justice. Along with Kiara Nirghin and Ruby Sampson, she has been hailed as South Africa's answer to Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.[3]

Education

Mgogwana is a student at Yolomela Primary School in Khayelitsha, one of Cape Town's most impoverished townships. Her environmental educator is Xoli Fuyani, who is both a mentor and a key collaborator in her work, and is also the Environmental Education Coordinator at the Earthchild Project, a non-profit organization Mgogwana is connected with.[4]

Climate activism

Mgogwana has been an active presenter in schools and has repeatedly urged the Government to take urgent action on climate change. She began volunteering with the Earthchild Project in January 2019, which aimed to bring environmental education into communities and classrooms that did not already have access to this knowledge.[5] In March 2019, she joined a youth climate strike and marched to Parliament demanding better policies and justice.[6] Following this event she spoke to an audience of 2,000 youth in Cape Town. In August 2019, she was a keynote speaker at the UNFPA’s symposium on Sexual and Reproductive Health, Gender and Climate Change Resilience in Johannesburg.[7] Her work fits within the increasing recognition amongst youth worldwide that their generation will face the most severe consequences of climate change, although they would have contributed little to the devastation of the environment. Her activism has been inspired by the Zulu word "Ubuntu", meaning "I am, Because you are".

Media mentions

Mgogwana has received recognition in both national and international media as a notable young climate activist who parallels Greta Thunberg in South Africa.[8][9] [10][11]

References
  1. "Yola Mgogwana". afternoonexpress.co.za. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  2. Holder, Josh; Kommenda, Niko; Holder, Josh; Kommenda, Niko. "Day Zero: how Cape Town is running out of water". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
  3. https://www.timeslive.co.za/authors/andrea-nagel. "These young climate change activists are SA's answer to Greta Thunberg". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  4. admin. "Earthchild Project". EarthChild Project. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  5. admin (2019-04-25). "Changing the script for climate change". EarthChild Project. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
  6. May, Jackie (2019-03-13). "Make it Better: Join the climate strike and Fridays for Future movement". twyg. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
  7. "Enhancing Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights, Gender and Climate Change Linkages to Build Climate-Resilient Communities". UNFPA ESARO. 2019-08-27. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
  8. "From Europe to Jo'burg, from Tanzania to NYC: ACA ambassadors sure were busy during term 3! – African Climate Alliance". Retrieved 2020-11-12.
  9. "Meet generation Greta: young climate activists around the world". the Guardian. 2019-06-28. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
  10. "In a Sea of Denial, This 11-Year-Old South African Activist Is Speaking Out Against Climate Injustice". Global Citizen. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
  11. Abrahams, Kim. "This local 11-year-old is fighting climate change one tree at a time". Drum. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
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