In this interview, Oluwanifemi Ologunorisa, ORA program coordinator, connects with Gerald Barekye, an ORA Africa Fellow from the 2023 cohort , and Executive Director at the Center for Environmental Research and Agricultural Innovation (CERAI). Gerald is an activist who has been fighting environmental degradation and human rights violations in Uganda. His passion is motivated by his early experiences witnessing the severe impact of environmental degradation and climate-related disasters in his community. In this interview, Gerald shares insights into what drives his passion for his activism, his approach to practicing resilience and how he finds beauty and fulfilment in his work.
Who are you, and what motivates your work?
A lot defines me and sometimes I have no single word to describe myself; however, my activism has painted a picture of who I am.
My name is Gerald Barekye, and I am a human rights defender, environmental activist and Executive Director at the Center for Environmental Research and Agricultural Innovation (CERAI). I have been engaged in activism work for five years, and I fight for the rights of marginalised communities who have been disproportionately affected by environmental degradation particularly in oil-affected regions located in Albertine Graben, western part of Uganda. At 29 years old, I have been working with young people to build climate justice movements in Uganda, and fight environmental and human rights violations for a better future. I have a strong drive to create positive change and to inspire young people to take action and make a difference. I am a community mobilizer, and public speaker who is always innovating new ways to drive concrete actions.
What drives your passion for activism?
I grew up in a peasant family in a deep village of Ntungamo district (UG), where I witnessed firsthand the severe environmental degradation and climate-related disasters in my community. This gave me sleepless nights after witnessing the impact of climate disaster and its effect on my community. My community neighbours the river, Rwizi, which serves over 4 million people in western part of Uganda. I used to see individuals and businesses dumping waste into this river which is the source of our livelihoods.
As an elite and educated person with a desire to address environmental injustices and promote equitable access to resources, I began a campaign to save River Rwizi in 2020 where our family and neighbouring communities get water from. This opened up my path to join climate justice movements after witnessing the devastating effects of climate change experienced by homestead.
Additionally, the ongoing oil activities in Uganda stimulated my anger to defend the affected communities who are experiencing climate changes due to oil activities. The issues of land grabbing, human rights violations and environmental destruction also compelled me to become a climate activist and defend the rights of oil-affected communities in Uganda.
What drives my passion is the spirit of ‘Ubuntu,’ a sense of justice and a love for nature. I recognize that my actions, no matter how small, can contribute to a larger impact to build a resilient community against climate changes. I am fueled by the resilience and determination of my fellow activists, and I am committed to continuing this fight for as long as it takes to create a better future for all to live.
How do you find beauty and fulfilment in your work?
My activism work cuts across borders, and this has given me the opportunity to meet new friends and to collaborate with them every day. I belong to many Global movements including the Stop EACOP campaign and Vuka Africa. These movements and many others have connected me to many audiences and have given me platforms to express and voice out issues that affect my community.
Therefore, I find beauty and fulfilment in community building, fostering connections with like-minded people in doing activism work, and expressing myself creatively through my writings and publications. My resilience in finding strength and hope in the face of adversity and setbacks strengthens my commitment to the cause. Every small victory, new connection made, and every voice raised contributes to a larger, more beautiful movement and this makes me a winner every day.
What challenges have you faced in your work, and what lessons can we learn from them?
As a climate activist, I have faced a lot of challenges, which included shrinking civic space especially for us working against oil projects in Uganda; limited exposure to international platforms to share my experiences; limited finances to facilitate my climate activism work and resistance to change by the Ugandan authorities when it comes to complex issues like climate change.
Despite these challenges, I have learned that through building grassroot community resistance movements, maintaining transparency and staying action-oriented, the fight for climate justice can be sustained and results achieved.
How has your work created impact and what is your vision for the future?
Over the past five years, I have contributed significantly to Uganda’s policy formulation, and inspired over 1,000 youth to join in the climate justice movements, and supported the formation of over 30 environmental clubs in schools that spearhead climate justice campaigns. Additionally, I published over 50 newspaper stories that have raised awareness about communities’ roles to conserve and protect the environment. I envision a world free from fossil fuels and where both environmental and human rights are protected.
Can you share your favourite experience from the ORA fellowship?
My favourite experience was the meeting that happened in Nairobi, Kenya, which brought together fellows from across Africa, as well as teams from HOMEF and Commonweal. This event was very educative and informative, from its design and the nature of discussion that was held. This event gave me the opportunity to physically meet other fellows, and team from HOMEF and commonweal.
The meeting provided me with a platform to learn, relearn and unlearn and to improve my activism work using global lenses. During the stay, ORA fellows and I got an opportunity to visit some of the marginalised groups in Kibera where we engaged through experience sharing about issues the feminist women are facing and strategies they have put in place to stop the human rights violations in Kenya. This visit painted a picture of how women are suffering due to injustices imposed on them. What a very educational meeting it was!
Further, the in-person meeting helped me to build a strong bond between different teams that were part of the fellowship. My first physical meeting with Nnimmo in Kampala was successful due to the knowledge he shared with me. This was a good opportunity to share my work with him and to seek his guidance and comments on areas of improvements.
Also during Nairobi, one of the best experiences was having a one on one with Andrea and Susan in one evening after the daily program. They both sharpened my future through our engaging conversation and experience sharing. I cannot also forget my best moments with Mark when we went to visit a Glass making factory and explored the Nairobi National park. His life experiences and stories of resilience increased my esteem to love the work I am doing.
In a nutshell, my favourite experience revolves mostly around the Nairobi meeting where I got the opportunity to physically interact with fellows and all ORA team leaders to share my experiences and identify areas of collaboration.
What is next for you? What projects are you currently working on?
At CERAI, where I serve as Executive Director, we are currently working on several initiatives. These include the fossil fuel phase out campaign in Uganda through the StopEACOP campaign, the Running-Re-power Africa campaign in Uganda, scaling up environmental agriculture in Albertine Graben region and mobilising young people to participate in climate and environmental justice campaigns in Uganda.
My next step involves developing a comprehensive plan to build resilient communities in Uganda. This includes creating educational materials and workshops for local schools on renewable energy and influencing policy changes to favour marginalised communities that are severely affected by impacts of climate change.
How do you define and practice resilience in your daily life?
I define resilience as building a community that can withstand and recover from climate -related issues. I practise resilience through community engagements and publication of Information education and communication materials like newspapers, blogs among others.
Some of my publications include:
- https://www.newvision.co.ug/category/world/africa-climate-summit-have-any-commitments-be-NV_183896
- https://charmarnews.com/fossil-fuels-a-weapon-of-massive-destruction-in-africa/
- https://www.newvision.co.ug/category/blogs/agriculture-the-heartbeat-of-our-global-food-NV_189686
- https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/oped/commentary/we-need-more-action-on-climate-change-3569740
- https://www.newvision.co.ug/category/world/africa-climate-summit-have-any-commitments-be-NV_183896
- https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/oped/letters/why-is-surplus-power-not-helping-ugandans–3938516
