Our world is complex and lots of people decide to look only at tiny parts of it. But if we miss the bigger picture, we will l fail. In 2019 Black Ugandan activist Vanessa Nakate has been cropped out of a press photograph during Davos’ world economic forum while AP kept her white colleagues within the frame.
Vanessa Nakate is much more than a woman who was cropped out of a photo. Her painful racist experience shows how humankind ignores both racism AND the climate emergency with disproportional affects those in African countries. This experience is just the starting point of Mrs. Nakate book “A Bigger Picture“ as she knows exactly how our world and our media work:
„I’m not naive about how the world works. My specific erasure and my reaction to it increased my visibility on social media sevenfold and brought me to the attention of more of the local and international press. “
Nakate draws the attention of the media to the disastrous effects which the climate emergency already causes on the African continent. But the main aim of the book is to inspire people – especially woman and girls – that they can become active for a sustainable future, for racial and climate justice, just like Mrs. Nakate did when she found out how everything is connected. Vanessa Nakate doesn’t want to be a heroine. Within her book she spotlights lots of other inspiring activists all over the world.
“A Bigger Picture“ is an intriguing read. And if you want to understand the climate emergency, if you want to fight for climate justice, you must read the bigger picture.
Please join our Climate Book Talk with Vanessa Nakate and Carola Rackete on Sunday, 20.03.2022, 6 p.m. CET / 8 p.m. EAT, online (English). More information.
Published 2021 by Pan Macmillan