Like Greta Thunberg, Nakabuye Hilda Flavia dries the classes every week to go down the street, placards in hand on which one can read "Save our planet". Like Greta Thunberg, the economics student urges politicians to take action on the climate emergency. "She is my source of inspiration and my daily motivation," says the 22-year-old, interviewed by France 24. "It's what made me want to join the student demonstrations for the climate".

But unlike Greta Thunberg, Nakabuye Hilda Flavia is mobilizing in Uganda, a country particularly affected by natural disasters. Last June, six people lost their lives - and more than 50 have died - in a landslide caused by torrential rains at the foot of Mount Elgon, near the Kenyan border. About a hundred houses were also washed away and agricultural crops destroyed. A scenario that recalls the mudslides of 2018 (41 dead), 2016 (15 dead), 2011 (23 dead), and 2010 (80 dead).

The country, whose economy is based mainly on agriculture, is also affected by "rising temperatures that dry out plantations and massive deforestation to produce coal that dries the land," Nakabuye adds. With a rate of deforestation of 1.8% per year in the country, woodlands are disappearing at a worrying pace, according to the UN.

"Green Climate Network Grows" in Uganda

From the district of Wakiso (center) where she grew up, the girl notes the multiple damages on the biodiversity. But it is in 2017, when she enters the International University of Kampala, that she really knows the gravity: attending a conference of the NGO Green Climate Campaign Africa (an association of Ugandan students), she realizes that all these phenomena are due to climate change. "At the same time, I felt bad, but I also decided to play a key role to bring solutions," she explains on her blog.

The following year, the green activist took six friends with her in her fight to organize a "Green Climate" campaign to clean the lakes and rivers in the country. The group, which collects plastics and other biodegradable waste along the shores of Lake Victoria, quickly rallies sixty students.

It's not #MotherNature that needs our protection, if we want to #livewell, it's paramount that we care for it. During a Weekly #lakeshorecleanup activity to #PreserveOurLakes #BeatPlasticPollution #NatureBasedSolutions @UNFCCC @UNHumanRights @UNCCD @GermanyUN @ Fridays4FutureU pic.twitter.com/57Sc7uXDNQ

Nakabuye Hilda F. (@NakabuyeHildaF) June 6, 2019

In January 2019, Nakabuye continued its momentum and, driven by Greta Thunberg's campaign Fridays4future movement, she launched the strike in her university with more local messages: "The temperatures rise in Uganda" or "Leave Mama Africa green" . They are about 180 souls during the international mobilization of March 15th, then 170 for that of May 24th. Far from the tens of thousands identified in Paris and Berlin. "Our network is growing and now affects 5 districts, 21 schools and 3 universities," says the girl who is very active on social networks, which boasts more than 2,000 subscribers today.

Aware that the climate issue is not discussed in homes or taught in schools, Nakabuye, who has become the leading figure of the environmental movement in the country, decides to go further by raising public awareness in public places and schools. community meetings.

Ecology on the political agenda ?

During her various interventions, she also does not hesitate to call on Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, 74, of whom 33 are in power. Without much success. "It's hard to talk about climate in politics because the only thing that concerns them is development, but not sustainable development," she notes. Otherwise, they would have already spoken of "development but not at the expense of our lives".

It places little hope in the political class: "Leaders should act as examples for younger generations but they only promise and never provide answers," she said.

Faced with their inaction, the one who refuses to keep quiet calls for individual responsibility and encourages people to reduce their carbon footprint. "It's not always easy to convince people, especially those who earn money by having activities that are not very compatible with the environment," she says. As an example, she cites those who wash cars near lakes and rivers, those who throw garbage to the wild or those who cut trees.

Here too, the struggle is not easy and she comes up against many criticisms. "It's not easy to encourage people to change the way they do things, to live," she admits. But the awareness is making its way, little by little. Nakabuye recently participated in the climate talks with the parliament spokesperson.