Lead Convener of the TN Africa Digital Journalism Summit, Senanu Damilola Wemakor, has announced an ambitious continental storytelling campaign targeting over 1,000 climate stories and a reach of at least 20 million people across Africa.
Speaking during the TN Africa Digital Journalism Summit in Limuru, Kenya, Wemakor said the initiative, dubbed ‘Story the Change’, is designed to mobilize journalists, digital creators, and students to amplify Africa’s climate and food security narratives.
“We want to put together in six months over a thousand content and online stories on climate change across the continent, and we want to reach at least 20 million people online,” he said.
Wemakor explained that the campaign is intended to move beyond discussions and drive tangible storytelling outcomes across Africa.
“The summit is not the end. The summit is a means to an end. That’s why we don’t call it just a summit, we call it a movement,” he added.
The summit, themed “Telling Africa’s Climate Change and Food Story in the Digital Age,” brought together academics, journalists, climate advocates, and digital creators to explore the role of online storytelling in climate communication.
Panel One featured Dr. Winnie Ndeta Otsiulah, Joyce Koech, and Bonnke Museeve Mulaama. During the discussion, Dr. Ndeta emphasized the role of communicators in reshaping Africa’s climate narrative.
“As communicators, as digital creators, we are the gatekeepers in communication. Yet, the dominant narratives that often paint Africa paint it as a victim and a backdrop for global grief,” she said.
“And we need to go down to the people… these solutions are not to remain in the papers that we publish and put in the library shelves,” she added.
Panel Two featured broadcast journalist Miranda Gathecha and Senanu Wemakor. Speakers discussed how digital platforms are reshaping journalism and enabling African storytellers to reach wider audiences with localized climate content.
Wemakor also emphasized that digital creators and journalists have a responsibility to use their platforms to influence climate awareness.
“When you go online, you see creators with millions of followers. The question is, what are they using these numbers for? This same audience can be used to project the message of climate change,” he said.
Organizers say the #StorytheChange campaign will continue beyond the summit, with open submissions from journalists and digital creators across Africa.
Submit your stories here: https://forms.gle/pQMi44PeZuM6YHbq9
Source: The Newsroom Africa