A group of youth from the Seychelles will be the first in the Indian Ocean region to participate in the Climate Show aimed at reaching out to young people and engaging them in a process of active awareness and resilience.
The show will take place from March 18 to 20 at the NSC Hall on the Seychelles’ main island of Mahe. It includes a 45-minute interactive video followed by a 45-minute Post Show focusing on the European Union (EU)-Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) cooperation in environment and climate change.
Representatives of the Climate Show revealed what the programme entails and its aims to the media in a press conference at Docklands Building on Thursday.
“It provides a unique opportunity to actively participate in the debate on climate change and propose solutions to tackle global warming,” said Jean-Rémy Daue, the show’s representative.
He explained that while members of the public can attend the show on the last day, the first sessions specifically target the youth, as they make up more than half the population in the region.
This is the first time that the show is being presented in the Indian Ocean, but it has been presented in capital cities in Europe such as Brussels and Bordeaux, pulling in crowds of around 50,000.
The organizers say that since the IOC countries face heightened vulnerability to frequent meteorological and climatic hazards, such as flash floods, droughts, tropical cyclones, and storm surges, the programmes have been tailored to their specific challenges.
In the Seychelles, the two key topics will be Blue Economy and disaster and risk prevention.
It took three years for those behind the project to produce it and it now has various presentations from experts and the use of GAIA – an interactive artificial intelligence.
According to the Climate Show press kit, GAIA engages the audience by inquiring about the prospects of successfully meeting the climate challenge. It also animates the show with the support of a randomly selected audience member seated in a spaceship-like chair.
From the Seychelles, the Climate Show will go to Madagascar, Reunion Island, and Comoros.
Daue said that they will then make a video of all the concerns raised in the region in the hopes that they will be actioned at a political level.
Those interested in participating in what the organizers call a playful show that humorously explores our questions and challenges while encouraging audience participation, can register for free at www.theclimateshow.org .
