On Idjwi Island, in the heart of the majestic Lake Kivu, a wave of ecological awareness arose this week. Gathered under the trees, on soil still damp from the recent rains, women, young people, and elders took part in a community dialogue focused on climate and the fight against fossil fuels. This was no ordinary meeting, organized by the Congolese Alert for the Environment and Human Rights (ACEDH) as part of the “Our Land Without Oil” campaign, which transformed the voices of the island’s residents into a true civic forum around a global issue: the survival of the Earth in the face of dependence on fossil fuels.
Far from the grand international conferences, this village assembly gave a deeply human dimension to the climate crisis. Here, participants didn’t speak of “CO₂ curves” or “carbon neutrality,” but of vanishing harvests, eroding fields, dwindling fish stocks, and polluted waters. “Our ancestors lived in harmony with nature. Today, it’s nature that is slipping away from us,” confided an elderly farmer, his gaze lost in the lush green hills of Idjwi.
This intergenerational dialogue, true to the African tradition of the palaver, blended ancestral wisdom with modern knowledge. The youth—often seen as disconnected from the land—listened attentively to the elders’ stories of how their parents used to predict the seasons. In turn, they shared their understanding of climate change and the dangers posed by gas extraction around Lake Kivu. One young fisherman summed up the prevailing sentiment: “They talk to us about development, but at what cost, if the lake that feeds us becomes an ecological time bomb?”
Beyond the words, the message from Idjwi is meant as a call to the world. As COP30 approaches in Brazil, the island’s inhabitants want their voices to echo in the corridors of international negotiations. For them, it’s no longer about promises but about concrete actions—turning away from fossil fuels once and for all and investing in sustainable alternatives led by local communities.
In Idjwi, the climate emergency is not an abstract concept but a daily reality. Unpredictable rains, soil erosion, and declining crop yields are forcing families to adapt or migrate to cities like Goma or Bukavu. The palaver reminded everyone that, despite these challenges, solutions do exist: reviving local knowledge, promoting agroecology, ensuring community management of natural resources, and strengthening village solidarity.
Amid the fervor of discussion, one conviction stood out: the fight against climate change will not be won solely in big cities or in air-conditioned conference halls, but in villages—where people live the consequences of disruption every day. And from this small island of Idjwi, surrounded by the waters of Lake Kivu, a clear message was sent to the world: the planet doesn’t need new gas wells, but new wells of hope.
By Kilalopress
