Ground-breaking WCJ project breaks language barriers in crisis content
Climate change is a mounting global threat, yet the literature surrounding it mostly appears in English. Vulnerable communities like those in the Global South are yet to hear updates on global warming, changes to weather patterns and other insights in their home languages.
The Climate Hub reported that, ‘…the English language dominates climate literature, further entrenching disparities in understanding the climate crisis and inciting climate action’.
‘There are hundreds of known languages worldwide. However, major climate literature is often reserved for specific languages. For example, the United Nations (UN) has six official languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.’
The Wits Centre for Journalism (WCJ) has launched a groundbreaking initiative, ‘Climate: In My Culture’, in collaboration with climateXchange (cXc) that aims to create an evolving online platform to collect words and stories related to local understandings of climate change. It is about making climate change accessible to as many cultures and communities as possible.
Through this project, the WCJ and climateXchange seek to promote an inclusive approach to climate content, where everyone can define and engage with climate matters in their own languages and stories, thereby improving climate literacy and invoking environmental action.
Afy Malungu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, French: Climate change in my language is le changement climatique. Regarding climate effects that we experience in the DRC, is mostly the rise of temperature; it is hot, and we also have heavy rains which is affecting agriculture and people in the city, as we experience a lack of urbanization.
Amahle Shosha, South Africa, Xhosa: Climate change in my language is Ukuguquka kwesimo sezulu [ukutshintsha kwemozulu] and climate change affects Makhanda in the Eastern Cape quite a lot. We tend to get a lot of flooding because we have a problem with our piping so when we get a lot of rain, the city floods.
Ana Valacco, Argentina, Spanish: In my country, climate change is Cambio climatico. We experience climate change by temperatures going up and somehow our cities are not ready for that. Basically, we rely on farming and agriculture and when there are droughts in the country, like right now, the whole economy is suffering.
Cale Nuttall, South Africa, English: If I look at the weather we have been having, the seasons are either really different or really odd. Last year we had the storms and rains into spring and up until the end of September and still in October. This year it’s again completely different.
Cece Siago, Kenya, Swahili: I’m an environmental journalist. In my culture we call climate change Mabadiliko ya tabia nchi, in Swahili or simply Tabia nchi. We define climate change as the change in weather patterns that affect various sectors. The climate issue that most affects my community is fast flooding and droughts, and now coral bleaching.
Dalvin Matunga, Zimbabwe, Shona: In my country we refer to climate change as kuchinja kwemamiriro ekunze. Our major concern is the rainfall patterns.
Diane Ndonse, Burundi, French: In recent years, climate change in Burundi has been marked by irregular rainfall and landslides. By way of illustration, more than 10 000 people were displaced by devastating floods following the heavy rains that hit the country towards the end of 2022, according to the International Organisation for Migration. These displacements have an impact on children’s schooling, as they are sometimes forced to change schools or drop out altogether because they have run out of school materials.
Ejiro ‘Lady E’Umukoro, Nigeria, Yoruba: In Yoruba, a language widely spoken in Nigeria, climate change is termed loosely as oju ojo – in other words how can you predict the face of the weather itself. In my environment, specifically in the Niger Delta region where l am from, climate change is a big deal.
Yanick Zountchegbe, Benin, French: In our language climate change is Le changement climatique. In my country, especially when there is a dry season, the sun is very hot, and we have difficulty knowing accurate information about the seasons because they are no longer regular. When it is the rainy season, we have flooding in certain areas. I must admit it is not very common, but it does happen.
Ismaël Mihaja, Madagascar, Malagasy: According to my culture, climate change is very dangerous for Malagasy people. Madagascar is an agricultural country, so people depend on stable climates. Climate change has severely disrupted the weather patterns. In my language, climate change is fahasimban’ny tontolo iainana.
Isaac Morris, Australia, English: In my culture we define climate change as the change in the overall environment of the planet, because of our human actions, our carbon emissions and the like. The way it will affect my home city, Melbourne, is that our weather is unpredictable normally, and with climate change it will only get more unpredictable. Sudden heat waves and then huge floods and bushfires that you might have heard about. More of these big changes very fast.
Izak Minnaar, South Africa, Afrikaans: In Afrikaans, climate change is klimaats verandering. Here in Johannesburg, the impact of climate change has been seen in the past decade or so, where we get less and less rain. We get a lot of droughts now. The weather is really unpredictable too. This time of year, we still experience cold where we usually didn’t.
Israel Tijanu, Nigeria, Yoruba: I’m a data scientist from Nigeria. Climate change in my language is ayipada oju-ojo. According to how we define climate change, it is what we believe to be the impact of human activity on the earth. It affects my people physically in the agricultural sector because in my tribe most of us are farmers.
Jerome Saye, Liberia, Mano: Climate change in my culture is the change in the pattern of rainfall and sunshine. As you can see, when we tend our farms and we expect rain, but there is no rain; and the time we expect sunshine, there is no sunshine. This is affecting our farming community, and we need to stand up and take action to mitigate it.
John-Allan Namu, Kenya, Kiembu: The effect of climate change in my community is expressed as yūra na kunyamarïka. So, yūra means famine, and kunyamarïka means extreme, or causing extreme suffering to the public. So, that is their way of expressing how seasons have changed. We have extended periods of droughts, then lots of rainfall, run-off of the fertile soils and depressed harvests.
Kamvalethu Ntsomi, South Africa, Xhosa: I am from Makhanda in the Eastern Cape. Climate change in my language is Ukuguquka [Ukutshintsha] kwemozulu. Climate change affects my community because we have a lot of droughts in Makhanda and that results in us not having water for a long time. That affects how people go about their daily business and some people struggle with drinking water.
Katlego Legodi, South Africa, Sepedi: Climate change in my home language is Boemo ba lehodimo. It affects our community and our people healthwise. Our infrastructure is affected, our crops are affected, and our plantation agriculture is affected. It’s just ruining a lot of things.
Kethukuthula Mthembu, South Africa, isiZulu: Climate change in my language is Ukugugquka kwesimo sezulu. It has affected my community immensely. People live near the Jukskei River in informal settlements. When there is excessive rain, it tends to flood and some houses have been swept away. People have been displaced and have nowhere to live, and some have died, so it has dark consequences in our communities.
Liam Lee, China, Mandarin: I am a PhD candidate from the Communication University of China. I think climate change is of the future, is of spirituality, is of mother nature. I live in Beijing, but I travel a lot so when l am away I miss the songs, and I miss the feeling of being there. I miss the smell of sunflowers, and I miss all the sounds of nature and natural light. So, I think the climate change is very important for living a spiritual life.
Luyanda Dube, South Africa, isiZulu: Climate change in my language is Ukuguquko kwesimo sezulu. I’m based in KwaZulu-Natal, a rural area which is affected by drought and rain. My family does a lot of sugar cane farming, which is negatively affected when we experience heavy rain.
Madjilem Alphonsine, Chad, French: The problem of climate change is global. I therefore call for international solidarity in order to combat the effects of climate change. This solidarity can be accomplished by granting the necessary resources, in particular, financial and physical resources, to entire communities.This is only possible through the combination of global forces.
Mariama Thiam, Senegal, Wolof: In our country, we define climate change as something new because it is a new concept, so in my mind, I don’t see the world speaking my local language. But what I can say is in Senegal we used to respect the environment and the climate because traditionally people don’t use pesticides or fertilisers. People traditionally use bio-fertilizer and natural pesticides so traditionally we respect the climate and our environment.
Marthe Akissi, Côte d’Ivoire, French: In my language they call climate change le changement climatique. We see coastal erosion caused by climate change in my country.
Maxime Domegni, Togo, Ewe: Climate change in my local language of Ewe should be something like: hihea be tro tro. One example that I can give about climate change is that there are places in my country where throughout the whole year it used to be cold, and now people need to use fans. It is getting warmer and warmer and this long-lasting change in the climate is something that people are experiencing in my community.
Omar Aden, Somalia, Somali: Climate change is taken very seriously in Somalia. We have droughts, which is called Abaar, and also floods, which is called Daadad. We also have deforestation, called Nabaad guui. Climate change in Somalia is defined as Isbedeika cimilada.
Oumar Sankare, Mali, French: Climate change in my country is called le changement climatique. So, we define climate change as the changing of weather and environment which is definitely affecting our people. Cattle farming and agriculture are all getting messed up, which is leading to insecurity and terrorism because people are getting more and more poor. For the last 10 years, floods, insecurity, and terrorism is killing a lot of people in my country, so climate change is really affecting us.
Rhandzu Rikhotso, South Africa, Xitsonga: My home language is Tsonga, and climate change to me is like Ku chincha ka maxelo. It affects my community in a way where the weather has changed, it’s hot and we haven’t seen enough rain recently. I’m not sure whether it’s because of the pollution because where I’m residing there is a lot of smoke and litter, so I’m not sure where the climate change is coming from.
Siyabonga Motha Ntuli, South Africa, isiZulu: In my home language we define climate change as Ukugugquka kwesimo sezulu. As a rural province a lot of people depend on agriculture to feed themselves or have a part in the economy. Climate change has affected so many people because most of them have experienced losing their livestock, unable to farm and getting to a position where they must move from certain areas.
Thabo Molelekwa, South Africa, isiZulu: I’m an assistant editor at Oxpeckers Centre for Environmental Journalism. Climate change in my language is Ukuguquka kwesimo sezulu. The change in weather patterns has had a negative impact on my community. You would have seen in the provinces of Kwazulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape in the past few months that communities have been displaced and some have lost their loved ones. .
Theresa Mallinson, South Africa, English: In my language, climate change is part of a broad term and it means so many different things. There’s global warming, extreme weather and the loss of biodiversity, and I think in South Africa in particular, many of us are very worried about fossil fuels and the level of fossil fuels we use in this country, particularly to generate electricity.
Thibilisse Nkurunziza, Burundi, Kirundi: Climate change in our national language, our mother tongue, Kirundi, is called Imihindagurikire y’ikirere. Climate change is impacting some regions of our community. Floods have affected them, houses have been destroyed, thousands of people have been forced to flee their region, their motherland and now refugees are facing serious problems like hunger and different diseases, and they don’t have assistance or anyone to help them.
Zwelethu Dlamini, eSwatini, isiSwati: In our culture and in our language, we call climate change kugucuka kwesimo kwelitulu, meaning the changing of the weather and the climates in general. The most common problem that we have noticed is that we don’t know when it’s time for farming because seasons have changed. We used to know when it was time for growing certain vegetables but not anymore.
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