In today’s episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Farah Ahmed, who works for Julie’s Bicycle - a London based charity that supports the creative community to act on climate change and environmental sustainability. Farah’s interests lie in exploring connections between environmental, racial and social justice, creative activism and how art can reshape climate narratives. Farah is a co-founder and facilitator of Diaspora Dialogues for Our Futures, a reflective space for people of colour to centre collective care in the face of the climate crisis.

In this conversation, Farah shares her journey into her work at Julie’s Bicycle and how this influenced the way she connected to the environmental movement as well as the important role art has to contribute to this space. We discuss the need for systemic change to tackle social injustices and the damaging impact of an individualistic focus within the environmental movement.

Farah shares crucial messages surrounding the need to be centering marginalised voices and opening up spaces to listen to those on the front lines of the climate crisis, as well as looking beyond the symptoms to target and address the root causes of the climate crisis. She also highlights the importance dismantling gate keeping and all oppressive systems, and she shares such beautiful messages of what she is hopeful about for the future.

Episode Notes/Resources:

https://www.alittlebitoflagom.org/ep-31-climate-justice-advocacy-in-the-arts-with-farah-ahmed/

Music: Martyn King