David Jackson, a young Kenyan artist, has made a name for himself by designing the official logo for the First Lady’s Mazingira Awards (FLAMA).
During the FLAMA Winner’s Ceremony at State House, Nairobi on Thursday, October 10, Jackson shared his journey toward climate justice.
His interest in environmental action began in 2018 when he was in class seven. That year, he participated in a climate-related competition at the weather department and came in at position 10.
However, he said that at the time he was not aware that the competition was FLAMA related.
“I was in class seven the first time I learnt about it and at the time in 2018 at the weather department, I was number 10 in the competition,” he said in his speech.
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How Jackson Won the First Lady’s Mazingira Awards
Fast forward to 2023, Jackson, then a Form Four student at Nairobi School, learnt about the logo competition and decided to participate.
His design, which captured the essence of climate action and environmental sustainability, earned him first place in the First Lady’s competition.
“But I interacted with it in Form Four now during the logo competition in 2023 and I won. I was very excited and my school, the Nairobi school even brought the band during the award.”
Nairobi School honoured his achievement by bringing the school band to the award event.
Further, reflecting on how far he had come since his early days of learning about climate change, explaining that the win motivated him to champion climate action.
“This is a great way to reach learners because you find that what they lack is the platform and information to take part in tree planting and care for the environment.”
“FLAMA has opened for me a better view and I have developed a better mindset on what I would want my art to do and how to give back to society using the skills I have,” added Jackson.
Also, he now plans to use the opportunity to inspire other artists to use their work in meaningful ways including giving to the community.
“I can also encourage other learners and help them nurture their talents. When they asked me how to improve and draw well, I tell them to keep drawing badly because, like many things in life, art requires practice.”
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About FLAMA
The First Lady’s Mazingira Awards (FLAMA) is a learner-centered national annual environment and climate change competition.
It was rolled out in collaboration with the Ministries of Education, Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, The National Treasury and other stakeholders in Kenya.
According to First Lady Rachel Ruto, the initiative targets Kenya’s 89,000 primary and secondary schools and 18 million learners including special needs learners.
Moreover, the Mazingira Awards empowers learners with knowledge and skills and recognizes and awards outstanding environmental conservation and climate action efforts undertaken by learners and schools across Kenya.
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