Magamba launches Fired Up to put youth at the centre of Africa’s clean energy transition

Magamba Network has launched Fired Up, a Pan-African movement bringing together artists, activists and creators to push for a people-powered clean energy future.

The initiative has grown out of the Kick Polluters Out network into something even bigger. Fired Up seeks to challenge fossil fuel industry greenwashing, tackle climate disinformation, centre African and Indigenous ecological knowledge, and mobilise young people to shape conversations around the continent’s energy future.

At the heart of the initiative is the idea of a just energy transition, a shift away from fossil fuels towards cleaner energy while ensuring that communities, workers and young people are not left behind.

Africa faces a particular challenge in making this transition. The continent has contributed relatively little to historical global greenhouse gas emissions but continues to face significant energy access challenges, while many economies remain dependent on fossil fuels. A just transition therefore involves expanding access to affordable and reliable clean energy while creating opportunities for communities and young people to participate in and benefit from the emerging green economy.

Against this backdrop, Magamba Network Creative Director Samm Farai Monro said the scale of the climate crisis required a bigger response that could connect climate activism with culture, creativity and public engagement.

“We are living through scary times, where our planet is literally on fire. Meanwhile, the arsonists – Big Oil – are making record profits.”

“Our social media feeds are filled with lies about the climate crisis. And on top of all of that, we are set to be hit by a “super” El Niño that’s probably going to bring drought and famine.”

“And so because the threat is so big, we thought we needed a bigger response,” Monro said.

Monro said Fired Up would bring together different strands of climate justice activism under one platform while taking on issues ranging from fossil fuel companies’ greenwashing to climate disinformation on social media.

“Fired Up is going to be a movement of artists, creators, and activists who are fighting for decentralised, affordable green energy that benefits the many,” he said.

The movement will also focus on bringing African and Indigenous ecological knowledge into discussions around the continent’s just energy transition.
“It’s about centering Indigenous knowledge and African ecological knowledge in the conversation of the just transition,” Monro said.

Africa’s just transition faces a major participation gap where more than 400 million young people are left on the sidelines of green economic policies instead of leading them.

Fired Up Project Officer Liam Takura Kanhenga said young people should not simply be part of the climate conversation, but should help shape it.
“The Fired Up platform centers youth participation and empowers young people to own and control the climate narrative,” Kanhenga said.

“Youth participation is crucial because young people are most affected, often misinformed or dis-informed, and must be enabled to tell the true climate story.”

He said Fired Up would equip young people with knowledge to develop ideas for a just green future while holding big polluters accountable.

“In simple terms, Fired Up gives young people the power to control the climate narrative,” Kanhenga said.

Creative storyteller Thulani Moyo, who also attended the launch, said the initiative creates space for young people to shape conversations about their future.

“To me, Fired Up is about giving young people a voice and creating space for us to shape the narratives around our future,” Moyo said.

“As a creative storyteller, I see an opportunity to bring young people’s experiences, ideas and perspectives into conversations about cleaner energy, sustainability and a fairer future.”

Moyo said young people should be at the centre of Africa’s transition to cleaner energy.

“It is about ensuring young people are at the centre of the shift towards a greener energy future, with our realities, ideas and solutions shaping that journey,” he said.

“For me, Fired Up is about turning our voices and ideas into stories that spark conversations and meaningful action.”

Meanwhile, Flames and Lilies Climate Initiative (FLCI) representative Elisa Moyo said the just transition must move beyond policies and into collective action.

“A just transition isn’t just a policy on paper, but it is moving away from the use of fossil fuels to green energy, working together to reach a green future,” she said.

Moyo said Fired UP demonstrates that young people can take action without waiting for permission.

“Fired Up is proving that we don’t need to wait for permission, but as youths, to join hands in demanding climate justice,” she said.

Fired Up is positioned as a platform for using creativity, storytelling and youth participation to build what organisers describe as the “narrative infrastructure for Africa’s clean energy future.”