The Climate Narrative Lab:
Connecting Struggles and Stories of the Global South
Driven by our shared struggle with capitalism and exploitation of indigenous territories, propelled our institutions to develop a cross-continental agenda to address the climate crisis.
Building on our previous experiences and cognisant that the looming implications of the climate crisis requires a systematic and intentional governance for mitigation, adaptation, and a transition to a new societal model. In 2024, we sought to expand our operations to Latin America, engaging with campaigners, movements and environmental defenders in an attempt to reconnect our social, cultural and historical sturggles by leveraging these shared struggles to develop an agenda for social and economic transformation that caters to cultural liberation, centering health and wellbeing at the centre of our trajectory.
This agenda will take into account three essential axes for SurgeX and Procomum:
+ Strengthening communities, collectives, and individuals in the Baixada Santista territory, both those already engaged in this agenda and those suffering from its effects, promoting territorial articulation that can generate a unified and qualified agenda of proposals, solutions, and demands to local and regional authorities.
+ Qualifying the technical and political understanding of climate change, its causes, effects, international agreements, solutions, and the rights linked to at-risk populations and those already affected.
+ Promoting exchange with community organizations from countries of the global majority (notably Africa, Asia, and Latin America), understanding that this is not merely a local problem and that solutions, social technologies, and knowledge can be exchanged, disseminated, and eventually adapted to different realities.
The Climate Narratives Lab’s methodology combines an experience in the form of a seminar and a flash laboratory, comprising in-person moments at the LAB Procomum headquarters in Santos- São Paulo, followed by the creation of a common agenda. The Climate Narratives Lab is part of a larger agenda on climate justice, territorial and global collaboration that Surge Africa is spearheading.
A cross-continental convergence
We held the panel-style LAB Climate Narratives, bringing together experts, activists, and environmental defenders from Brazil and Nigeria. We facilitated discussions on climate change in the Baixada Santista region, climate justice, and global climate narratives. Carefully curated panels presented a blend of technical and academic knowledge, showcasing mitigation strategies and resilience practices in Brazil alongside communication and narrative case studies to expand our strategies, particularly addressing the challenges faced by the Global South.
An essential aspect of the event was expanding the debate to include groups often excluded from the climate agenda, such as people from peripheral communities, LGBTQIAP+ individuals, and racialized populations.
This aspect of the Narrative Lab highlighted the importance of decolonizing and diversifying narratives surrounding science and climate change, focusing on scientists from diverse backgrounds. Communication and digital media were viewed as crucial tools for combating misinformation and connecting the public with climate issues. It was understood that, beyond discussing ideas, it was essential to conclude our Lab by pointing towards practical narrative actions. What voices do we want to activate, and in what way?
A Participatory Lab
Following the panel discussions, we organized a two-day hands-on experience set up as a "LAB Relâmpago" exploring participatory learning and experiential placemaking. Through a public call, we selected 21 individuals that were either impacted by climate issues or with expertise in climate and communication, to come together and develop prototypes and communities of practice.
These two days of brainstorming marked the start of a journey to explore the issues from the group's perspective. They imagined solutions, formed around the most compelling ideas, and began prototyping to validate, refine, or further develop their concepts. The diversity of the group being people from all cities in Baixada Santista, representing different skill sets, genders, and races, enabled them to approach the problem from various angles, supported by mentors.
The three prototypes—"Da Quebrada ao Nhandereko," "No Clima da Baixada," and "Teko Porã" are concrete examples of how citizen innovation can mobilize communities. They demonstrate that by combining diverse skills, experiences, and perspectives, it is possible to create viable and impactful solutions. Ultimately, fighting individualism is part of the fight for climate justice.
A Cultural Experience
Quilombos, symbols of Afro-Brazilian autonomy and identity, are spaces where African culture and knowledge resisted the violence of colonization and slavery, ensuring the continuity of African traditions in Brazil. The ability to maintain a living bridge between Africa and Brazil, despite centuries of oppression, also connects to Nigeria’s history, from where a large part of the enslaved population emigrated.
On another territorial recognition tour, we visited the Paranapuã aldeia, located in São Vicente, São Paulo. The Guarani have a deep history of resistance and cultural preservation, spanning centuries of colonization, exploitation, and struggle for justice, continuing in their pursuit of autonomy and recognition of their rights, which are constantly threatened.
Hosting the LAB in Santos was the starting point for this project, which began with a moment of territorial and historical recognition of the region and via this cultural exchange, aimed at weaving connections between our territories and cultures.
The Care Tent
The Care Tent is a welcoming and collaborative space focused on integrative care practices. In this space, we address health and care needs and carry out actions to promote care during the Climate Narratives Lab, allowing us to consider individuals in their political movements and efforts to build solutions. Essentially, it was a space that aimed to highlight care as a resource that enables the sustainability of citizen innovation efforts, affirming care as a common good, produced collectively and politically. .
Climate Narrative Lab| Perspective
Throughout the course of the Lab, we spoke with renowed environmental defenders and climate campaigners, extending to individuals deeply rooted in public campaigning of housing, gender equality, access to healthcare that joined our space.