The Rwanda Climate Emergency Workshop
The Rwanda Climate Emergency Workshop was held in November 2021 and was led by Janet Kabue, Area Reference Person for Nairobi, Kenya.
The participants were eager to be part of the workshop and started to join on Zoom ten minutes early. Due to lack of Internet consistency, some people could not be there on time. However, twenty-one out of twenty-five participants were there at the beginning.
We started with “news and goods” in breakout rooms. Then Janet talked about the climate emergency and the Sustaining All Life (SAL)/United to End Racism (UER) initiatives. She spoke about colonialism, exploitation, and oppression and how they relate to climate change. “We need to undo the damage done to each of us by oppression, disconnection, and fear. If we do that, we can sustain ourselves for the long haul, grow, thrive, and keep thinking as we do the work.”
We met in three-way and two-way sessions. Everyone was restimulated and expressed feelings of anger, rage, and sadness. Janet reminded us that as RCers we can sustain ourselves and others using the tools of RC. We can also be part of the solution to the challenges the world is facing.
We met in groups for think-and-listens and in support groups. Before we ended the meeting, each of us shared how we were going to help preserve the world, and many climate solutions were highlighted. We will support people to free themselves from hurts that keep them from playing a role in the struggle. It is necessary to act against all oppressions to find lasting solutions.
Kigali, Rwanda
(Present Time 207, April 2022)