Safeguarding Kenya’s Mangroves
By Natalie Sifuma
Zainab Mejja Adam is a Kenyan visual creative based in Mombasa. For some time now, she’s been a frontrunner in championing mangrove and marine conservation through photography. She became engaged in climate advocacy when she noticed the green and wildlife areas she was photographing were degrading due to high temperatures.
Since then she devoted her efforts to work on projects and initiatives around marine pollution, greening areas, and mangrove planting. In 2021 at COP26, she presented her art virtually, and in 2022 she participated in the pre-COP27 conference for youth, women and indigenous communities, and the post COP27 follow up workshop. Zainab has clearly been on a streak, immersing herself in social media campaigns around climate change to further spread the message on the importance of climate action.
She is currently working on a plan for more sensitization on climate action at the Kenyan Coast through literature, art, and sports in a bid to have more youth plugged into the cause.
Zainab spoke with our Head of Communications, Natalie Sifuma, about the ongoing efforts and initiatives at the Kenyan coastal towns of Mombasa and Kilifi.
Zainab Mejja Adam
Natalie: The Kenyan coast is a historical gem, rich in culture as well as marine and green life. Having lived most of your life in Mombasa, how (if at all) has the proximity to the ocean and green spaces shaped the way you feel about nature?
Zainab: Some of my fondest memories happened in those crystal white sands by the Indian Ocean. My extended family would all bundle up and go to the beach for a weekend out, for birthday celebrations, for graduations… basically any occasion you can think of. And we’d carry our own food and drinks, so I grew fond of being by the ocean.
When I was in primary school I was a scout and my peers and I would spend time behind our primary school (St. Augustine’s Preparatory School) camping, practising drills, or learning from our scout teacher. It was all the more amazing that our school was near the ocean and our scouts spot was a hidden haven full of mangroves.
I’d say that because most of our school trips were also to the beach, or to Arabuko-Sokoke Forest, or to marine conservation spaces, I began to feel a connection to nature and gradually understood its endless benefits to my community.
Natalie: I love how you’ve gone back to those precious memories that we usually keep safely tucked in our hearts and minds. From where I stand, I can see how those years have shaped you into the person that you are: a creative using photography as a tool to champion for climate action and marine conservation. When did this form of creative activism begin for you, and what’s the journey been like so far with regards to rallying and educating people?
Zainab: I got into photography in 2017 and slowly found my niche when I started travelling around the country visiting conservancies and national parks to capture our wildlife in their natural spaces. Each place was different and so I found myself also leaning towards capturing Kenya’s diverse geography.
Photography was a calming pastime at first, though after a while, I started noticing gradual changes when I went back to those same places I’d visited before. For instance wildlife had become scarce, places that were once green were slowly degrading, lakes were drying up while others were swelling and flooding surrounding areas – and temperatures had risen.
At first, I didn’t think there was much I could do about it – even though I’d heard about climate change, but on a surface level. But with the intensity of the changes, I wanted to know more and do something about it. So, in 2021 I applied and got selected for a 3-month residency in Mombasa called Bahari Huru, which was for creatives that focused on Marine pollution and marine conservation. It was facilitated by Jukwaa Arts, a theatre company in Mombasa which voices social issues through creation and presentation of performing and visual arts, while nurturing local talent.
I joined the residency only with a curiosity to know more and within weeks I’d a lot about marine conservation, marine pollution, and how climate change affects the ocean and the areas near the ocean. I met and spoke with scientists, businesses in the blue economy, local and global ocean organisations, community champions, environmentalists, and seasoned artists.
Natalie: Sounds like it was worth the while.
Zainab: It was. I especially wanted to be a part of this marine movement and campaign because I hated the thought of a future where children and communities could not have access to all that was available to me growing up – a beautiful, clean, safe, and healthy ocean, as well as all the benefits that came with the greenery and plants in my community. And this residency gave me the opportunity to be part of the change and conversation.
We were able to create a variety of visual and performance pieces of art, and I further developed the use of my photography art for social impact. I shot and published a photography series highlighting human behaviour that contributed to marine pollution, especially through plastic pollution, and highlighted alternatives like recycling. To put it lightly, this residency lit a fire in me, and I have never looked back.
Natalie: Was this series exhibited anywhere?
Zainab: Yes, in Mombasa and Kilifi where we were also able to gather public participation and use the images as starting points to speak about marine conservation and climate change. The pictures were also showcased at the COP26 Virtual Art Gallery in Glasgow.
Zainab’s images showcased at the COP26 Virtual Art Gallery
Natalie: What came next after this milestone?
Zainab: It encouraged me to be part of a youth and women community called YWCA (Young Women’s Christian Association) where I started getting involved with their Climate Action activities and conversations as a creative and a climate action champion from Mombasa.
Through a YWCA workshop, I was able to explore a photography project that focused on the benefits of mangroves especially with regards to climate action within the Coastal regions, and why preserving them is the only sensible thing. I produced and presented a series of photos highlighting the benefits of mangroves, including how we can fight climate change through the trees. Through these images, I can communicate without words why we need to protect and restore our mangrove forests as I highlight their benefits to my community.
Natalie: They say a picture is worth a thousand words and this shows how powerful your lens has been in educating people. Were you able to continue these efforts in 2022?
Zainab: In May and June 2022, I was part of a small group in Mombasa that championed and facilitated a social media campaign on greening the Likoni area, an initiative by YWCA, which we made trend on Twitter. Our conversations highlighted matters around climate action, inclusion for climate justice, and the importance of greening. We later accompanied the online campaign with planting of trees in the Likoni area together with the Likoni community during the World Environment Day. We even had primary school kids join us during the tree planting activities, and they had a chance to understand how growing trees is important for livable and sustainable communities.
In October 2022, I participated in the pre-COP27 workshop and conference that was aimed at advancing the role of youth, women, and indigenous communities on post-Paris climate dialogue. Through this, I was part of the team that contributed to the climate position paper in preparation for COP27 – which was adapted by the Kenyan government and representatives that attended COP27 in Egypt.
Knowing that through the conference, we were able to have such an impact, share the collective views from the people on the ground, represent our communities, and contribute to global conversations around the needed climate justice and sustainable policy making, it was all very encouraging and reassuring. I believe more voices need to be heard in the climate conversations, especially from the women and local communities highly affected by it.
Natalie: This year's World Wetlands Day’s theme was “It's Time for Wetlands Restoration,” and is an urgent call to prioritise wetland restoration. I’m sure there’s a lot you have in store for the day and even beyond.
Zainab: Yes I do! In Mombasa and along the Kenyan Coast we’ve been focused on restoring the mangrove forests by planting more of the trees in the wetlands and areas near the seashore. Mangroves prevent storms and the rising sea levels protecting the human habitats near the ocean; they absorb a lot more carbon from the atmosphere compared to the tropical forest trees hence they help reduce global warming. They also provide a good spot for nurseries for fish, and in some areas like Junda in Mombasa they use the trees to keep bee hives, hence these trees support livelihoods (fishing & bee keeping in my Coastal community); the trees prevent soil erosion as well as provide great shade for gatherings.
As you can see, mangroves are a gem, and there are events of restoring mangrove trees in Kilifi and in Mombasa happening on this day. Such events bring together experts who we get to learn more from, and share our experiences, knowledge, ideas and plans with. That I’ve been able to see opportunities for collaborations because of nature is something I’m grateful for.
Natalie: So, I take it mangroves are the facet of nature that give you the most joy?
Zainab: Well, from the rant I just had above about mangroves, plus the memories I have of my interactions with them when I was young, they’re my favourite trees! They’re a key part of nature, which makes them a contributor to the feeling of serenity.
World Wetlands Day community engagement program in Mombasa
For World Wetlands Day 2023, Zainab joined the Pwani Mangrove Consortium, Amani Jipange group, YWCA & friends for an event in Mwakirunge (an area around Tudor Creek).to celebrate this important day. First on the agenda was planting 1,000 mangroves and setting up new seedbeds. Afterwards she met with the local group about monitoring and keeping track of the growth of the trees, which included how to identify those that may be drying up and the possible causes of that.
