Striking for the Climate in Cape Town 2019

I felt compelled to join the Global strike against Climate warming on 20 September in Cape Town.

I met up with the gathering in Hanover Street opposite the Technicon University. Hanover street runs through District Six, an area ravished by Apartheid, the people removed to farflung areas on the Cape Flats. The area now sedate, bereft of the rhythm and beat of those erstwhile days.

But today life had returned in the good nature of a gathering crowd, young and enthusiastic with their colourful slogans, their challenging messages .

What surprised me were the large numbers of young people, school learners and students, many in uniform. Schools had been busy that morning preparing banners for the walk, from Hanover street to Parliament. These are the people who are going to inherit our world and indeed they need to be so concerned.

We have been so careless in how we have lived on this magical blue planet – contaminating almost everything we touch, even the air that enters us and gives us life. Air, vegetation, animals, the oceans, fish, live with the burden of our presence

There were some 2 to 3000 people on our snakelike walk through the streets of Cape Town, some singing and dancing. As we progressed up Buitekant, along Roeland streets to Parliament news filtered through that millions of people had walked in Sydney, London, New York.

Perhaps we are getting the message, and that next year millions will take to the streets in our South African cities.

And that we will begin to save the world, and ourselves.

Bob Commin