Spoken Word: Using Poetry and Artivism for Climate and Environment

We look into spoken word poetry artivism, art-activism on environment and climate, where words change how people envision their world and act within it. We welcome poets Awa Nidaye and Matt Sedillo to share their work and their views on activism and identity.

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Spoken Words to Change the World

Spoken-word poetry can be a powerful art form of personal testimony, of protest, of activating on social and environmental concerns.

On today’s show, we look into poetry artivism, the mixing of art and activism, where words can become catalysts intended to change the way people envision their world and act within it.

Spoken word is art form where one can find their own voice, express their own identity, and speak out for their communities and the planet. The art of spoken word also brings a level of empowerment, where the sharing of personal stories inspires the heart and mind beyond mere facts and figures, using imagination to make the impossible seem not-so-impossible.

Our two poets today will share selections of their spoken word, and showcase their unique literary power to activate and move the movement. Their artivism demands a rethinking of popular narratives on environment and climate, mainstream narratives that often minimize or erase the experiences of the very people at the forefront of the climate crisis.

STORY: Tribal Sovereignty and Self Determination

Awa Ndiaye [https://www.humanitei.art/about] is a spoken word poet whose work explores various themes including identity, social justice, and climate change. With an MSc in Environmental Change and Management from Oxford, she combines her formal education with her art to explore and amplify perspectives often silenced in the mainstream conversation on climate.

Matt Sedillo [https://www.mattsedillo.com/] has been described as the “best political poet in America” as well as “the poet laureate of the struggle” by academics, poets, and journalists alike. He has appeared on CSPAN and has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, among other publications. He has spoken at Casa de las Americas in Havana, Cuba, at numerous conferences and forums such as the National Conference on Race & Ethnicity in American Higher Education, and at over a hundred universities and colleges, including the University of Cambridge, among many others.

Their spoken word demands a rethinking of popular narratives on environment and climate, mainstream narratives that often minimize or erase the experiences of the very people at the forefront of the climate crisis.

Today we look into poetry artivism, art/activism, spoken word as personal testimony, protest, activation
Check out Awa Ndiaye and @sedillo_matt whose spoken word demands a rethinking of narratives on environment and climate – On @KPFK at 3PM or: https://t.co/dqLgW5c8Ta pic.twitter.com/xpdnalgPG2

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Executive Producer: Jack Eidt
Host and Producer: Jessica Aldridge
Engineer: Blake Lampkin
Show Created by Mark and JP Morris
Music: Javier Kadry
Episode 105
Image: Nickie Black-Awa Ndiaye

Originally Published 20 August 2021, Updated 16 March 2023