Because it had rained the night before, Nairobi lay under the morning mist, denuded and grey.
It was a cold and damp morning on this last day of August, and the street outside the Somerset Hotel where the spectacular and nearly upscale event was set to happen was uncharacteristically quiet.
Their motivations for participating were as vast and as interesting as their profiles.
Upscale not only because of the location but also because of the red carpet, the décor, the huge public address system, and the clean white tent that had been put up.
The setting appeared rather grand.
Despite the ungodliness of the temperatures, which admittedly caught a lot of people by surprise because the day you organize such an important outdoor event in Nairobi is the one rainy day in the middle of a five-year drought, over fifty participants had turned up to audition for Sustainable Development Goals superheroes roles.
Despite having been out for only about three days, the casting call attracted all sorts of young people.
They were answering a casting call by the Alliance for Science, and until the opening of the auditions, the participants, all dressed in black tops and black pants or leggings, were tucked away in a room.
These SDG superheroes are a concept created and developed by the Alliance for Science as part of its efforts to boost awareness around SDGs, especially at the Climate Action Zone (CAZ), an Alliance for Science side event to the Africa Climate Summit, which is being hosted in Nairobi, Kenya, from September 4 to 6, 2023.
The CAZ will be at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Upper Hill, Nairobi, from September 3 to 6, 2023.
“When we heard about Africa Climate Summit, we were very excited, and then it became what a lot of these things become- a lot of formalities and long words,” said the Executive Director of Alliance for Science, Dr Sheila Ochugboju.
“So, we said, ‘Hey, how will we be part of this? How are our young people going to be part of this? And how will the solutions emerge when we don’t understand what they are discussing? How do we bring people who will transform the world back into the conversation?’
“So, we thought as an organization, what if our SDGs were superheroes? What if they were characters? What would that look like? So, we put out this call to invite you to be part of the solution.”
Despite having been out for only about three days, the casting call attracted all sorts of young people:
A standup comedian with an enthusiasm for energy conservation
A geographical engineer turned actress
A fashion designer who uses fashion to promote mental health awareness
A rugby player with an uncommonly shy demeanor
A stay-at-home mum who loves farming…a fifty-something year-old-engineer who’s just started exploring his childhood passion for acting
Computer scientists, professional actors, actresses, fitness influencers, musicians… the list is endless.
Their motivations for participating were as vast and as interesting as their profiles.
According to Yasser Muiruri, a young business reporter, “coming for the auditions was a great opportunity because I’ve been waiting for the right opportunity to use my expertise to advocate for climate action. I got to articulate my efforts towards achieving these SDGs, especially SDG 8– Decent Work and Economic Growth, which I’m interested in representing.”
“I’ve deliberately kept away from auditioning for a while until now because of profiling,” said Patsey Githinji, a transgender activist and advocate for transgender rights.
“However, I’m here today to participate in the audition because I am passionate about SDGs, especially Climate Action and Gender Equality, which is SDG number 5. I love the late Professor Wangari Mathai, and she is my hero. For this audition, however, I will be contesting for SDG 5.”
“I’ve seen several young people who are not only aware but are already doing something about the SDGs within their spaces in their communities.”
During the initial selection process, the participants were required to send videos of themselves, 60 seconds long, explaining what SDG action superheroes they wanted to be and why.
Other than being tested on their knowledge of SDGs, the participants were allowed to showcase their talents. So, the actors performed impromptu skits; the dancers danced; someone sang; the personal trainer opted to improv a training session; the politician-artist made a spontaneous speech and, had he not been stopped in time, would have gone on for an hour or two.
The judging bench included an impressive lineup (some of them famous) such as Dr Sheila, celebrated journalist Terryanne Chebet, fashion designer and entrepreneur Lucy Rao of Rialto Fashions, Clay Muganda, Alliance for Science Managing Editor, Fiona Mosongo, the Executive Assistant at Alliance for Science and Merab Akinyi, the Digital Strategist at Alliance for Science Myke Rabar, the chief executive of HomeBoyz Entertainment and others, kept rotating to ensure high objectivity and partiality.
“We were looking for people who have clarity on what the SDGs are about, people who are already practising something to that regard, and for confidence and talent,”
“My impression first was that there are amazing young people with knowledge of SDGs. You know, sometimes when we are older, we feel that young people don’t care enough about some of these things because it’s not been well communicated to them.
“However, today, I’ve seen several young people who are not only aware but already doing something about the SDGs within their communities. That and their level of talent impressed me,” said Terryanne.
On the other hand, while she was impressed by the talents displayed, Fiona was left a little uneasy about the awareness of SDGs among the young people.
“We were looking for people who have clarity on what the SDGs are about, people who are already practising something to that regard, and for confidence and talent,” she said.
“Most of the participants lacked depth on what SDGs are, which, if they are a pool of the young people that we have in society, means a lot of our younger generation probably don’t understand. If they mirror what the society understands about SDGs, we have more reason to continue with processes like these.”
According to a 2019 survey, at least 92 percent of Kenyans had heard about SDGs, and their most important sources of information were media (TV and radio) at 36.6 percent, followed by workshops and conferences at 33 percent.
Newspapers and magazines, and journals were at 4.8 percent and 1.4 percent, respectively.
The shortlisted individuals will receive training from the Alliance for Science on SDGs. They will participate not only in the coming Climate Action Zone but also long-term in other projects.
And the heroes are…
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Gloriah Amondi is a Kenya-based multilingual human rights lawyer, Mandarin teacher, and writer contributing to The Nation’s weekend editions. Her works have been published in journals such as Kalahari Review, Ibua Literary Journal, Lolwe Literary Magazine, and Dooney’s Café.