Vanessa Nakate
Who was Vanessa Nakate?
Climate activist who gained international recognition after being cropped out of a photo with Greta Thunberg at the 2020 World Economic Forum, highlighting the marginalization of African voices in climate discussions.
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Vanessa Nakate (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Vanessa Nakate, born on November 15, 1996, in Kampala, Uganda, studied at Makerere University Business School. She rose to prominence as one of the leading African voices in the global climate movement, starting her activism with a solo climate strike outside the Ugandan Parliament in January 2019, drawing inspiration partly from Greta Thunberg's Fridays for Future. Her one-person protest in Kampala gradually gained attention, helping to start a larger movement across Africa.
Nakate founded two key organizations: Youth for Future Africa and the Rise Up Movement, both focused on amplifying African youth voices on climate issues and supporting vulnerable communities. She consistently highlights that, although African countries contribute the least to global greenhouse gas emissions, they suffer some of the worst effects of climate change, such as prolonged droughts, food insecurity, and extreme weather. Through Rise Up, she has helped fund solar panels and eco-friendly stoves in Ugandan schools, linking environmental action directly to community benefits.
In January 2020, Nakate gained international attention in challenging circumstances. After attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, a photo featuring her with Greta Thunberg, Luisa Neubauer, Loukina Tille, and Isabelle Axelsson was published by the Associated Press with Nakate cropped out. The edited photo, showing only the four white European activists, led Nakate to publicly address the exclusion of African activists from global climate talks. The incident sparked a major international discussion about racial bias and the lack of African representation in mainstream climate advocacy.
After the cropping incident, Nakate became a sought-after speaker at key international events, including the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP25 and later COP events. She has spoken to world leaders and policymakers, urging wealthier nations to honor financial commitments to help developing countries with climate adaptation and renewable energy transitions. In 2021, she published a book called A Bigger Picture, where she shared her personal story and broader arguments for climate justice focused on African communities.
Nakate has been recognized by several organizations for her work. She was named among BBC 100 Women in 2020 and received the Helmut-Schmidt-Zukunftspreis in 2022. She was also appointed as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, using her platform to advocate for children's rights concerning climate vulnerability. Her work continues to highlight that climate justice is deeply linked to issues of equity, representation, and the historical responsibilities of industrialized nations.
Before Fame
Vanessa Nakate, who grew up in Kampala, Uganda, attended Makerere University Business School, a leading Ugandan institution. During university, she noticed the clear impact of climate change in Uganda and East Africa, like unpredictable rainfall, long droughts, and harm to farming communities, which were vital for many Ugandan families.
Her journey into public activism grew out of frustration with the lack of African voices in global climate talks. Inspired by youth climate movements in Europe and North America in 2018 and 2019, Nakate decided to act independently, starting a solo strike in Kampala in January 2019. Initially without support or a network, she protested alone outside the Ugandan Parliament, determined to highlight how the climate crisis was affecting Africa, beyond just the perspectives of Western countries.
Key Achievements
- Founded Youth for Future Africa and the Rise Up Movement to elevate African youth voices in global climate justice advocacy.
- Sparked an international conversation about racial representation in climate activism after being cropped from an Associated Press photograph at the 2020 World Economic Forum in Davos.
- Spoke at major international forums including the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP25 and multiple subsequent COP summits.
- Published A Bigger Picture (2021), a book centering African perspectives on climate change and climate justice.
- Named among BBC 100 Women (2020) and awarded the Helmut-Schmidt-Zukunftspreis (2022), with appointment as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
Did You Know?
- 01.Nakate conducted her first climate strike alone outside the Ugandan Parliament in January 2019, with no other participants present at the initial demonstration.
- 02.The Associated Press photograph that cropped Nakate out of an image with four European climate activists in Davos in 2020 became a widely discussed example of media bias and the erasure of African activists.
- 03.Her book A Bigger Picture, published in 2021, was specifically written to foreground African experiences of climate change rather than treating the continent as a footnote in a predominantly Western narrative.
- 04.Through the Rise Up Movement, Nakate has funded the installation of solar panels and eco-friendly stoves in schools across Uganda, linking climate advocacy directly to tangible improvements in educational environments.
- 05.She was appointed as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, a role that allowed her to formally connect climate advocacy with the protection of children's rights on an international institutional platform.
Awards & Honors
| Award | Year | Details |
|---|---|---|
| BBC 100 Women | 2020 | — |
| Helmut-Schmidt-Zukunftspreis | 2022 | — |