While scientists debate definitions and timelines, for people across Africa, the Anthropocene is not an abstract concept but a daily reality. They feel it through changing weather patterns, economic pressures and transforming landscapes.
But, the discussions about this age, its consequences, and who created it rarely emerge from the African continent. The term Anthropocene implicates all of us but we did not all create it equally. These emergencies are driven by historical processes rooted in colonialism and racialised capitalism. However, dominant narratives often homogenise the experience of living in the Anthropocene.
The Anthropocene is more than environmental crises, climate catastrophe or biodiversity loss. We need more than greater efficiencies or renewable technologies. We need new narratives about how we relate to each other, how we distribute resources, and how we achieve justice. For all of our collective presents, pasts and futures, our goal in this series is to explore what it means to be African in the Anthropocene.