TIA BUANA-COKES JOINS LOVE SSEGA IN THE FIGHT FOR GOOD AIR

On 18th June 2022, over 1500 people came together in Southwark Park to campaign against air pollution in Lambeth and Southwark for Live + Breathe 2022. Two key interventions by DPS students ic in the issue of London air pollution: Tia Buana-Cokes and Megan Garfitt Christensen, were selected by Love Ssega to engage the public.

The event ignited a community-wide passion for change. Musician and activist Love Ssega is now calling for people to get creative and continue the conversation by campaigning for cleaner air in Lambeth and Southwark.

Aimed to raise awareness that Black, Asian, and other ethnicities are excessively affected by air pollution and are passionate about campaigning against climate issues. The day encouraged more young people to share their concerns and fears about air pollution. Air pollution in London is constantly higher than the World Health Organisation’s recommended limits and Lambeth and Southwark have some of the worst levels in the city.

Live + Breathe 2022 was a celebration of South London’s music community and culture and offered local residents the opportunity to get involved in free arts and culture workshops, take part in a football tournament, and listen to poetry by local writers fuelled by their campaign for clean air. The South London groups involved include Peckham BMX Club, Poetic Unity, Peace Ballers, Neon Elevate, Art 4 Space, and CeCeRollerskates. There will also be performances by ITV’s ‘Peckham’s Finest’ star DJ Mark Ashley-Dupé, Born N Bread, Rebel Clash and Shumba Youth.

Research by the British Lung Foundation estimated that 36,000 people die each year due to air pollution in the UK (2). The long-term effects of living with air pollution can cause damage to organs and lead to asthma, COPD and other long-term health conditions.

Third year DPS GMD student Tia Buana-Cokes was selected to design a zine for the event “I created a photographic zine titled ‘Living + Breathing’ for a live brief set by Purpose Studio and Love Ssega.

“I knew that I wanted the zine to be focused on people and the outdoors. We should all be able to enjoy and experience activities and life outdoors without risking our health. The zine featured photography, shot and edited by my friend Anna Howell, and testimonials from people I knew who live or lived in Southwark and Lambeth, sharing what they enjoy doing outdoors, or a memory they had.” ~ Tia Buana-Cokes 

“When we were being briefed, I knew that I wanted the zine to be focused on people and the outdoors, as they are the main ones affected by the polluted air in Southwark and Lambeth. But as the event Live + Breathe was a celebration and had a positive message, I wanted the zine to be positive. The main idea fuelling the zine was that we should all be able to enjoy and experience activities and life outdoors without risking our health. The zine featured photography, shot and edited by my friend Anna Howell (a student on the BA Photography course), and testimonials from people I knew who live or lived in Southwark and Lambeth, sharing what they enjoy doing outdoors, or a memory they had.” 

“Live + Breathe 2022 is all about showing power brokers that Black people within Lambeth and Southwark care about climate issues. Not only that, the communities and groups involved here have come together to use art and culture to highlight an issue such as air pollution, which is shown to affect people of colour the most. People in the two areas would rather be doing sport, meeting friends, or training to be future Olympians, but if the air pollution levels are too high, then they are going to come together and make noise about it until the government acts to change it.”

Michael Pusey (MBE), founder of Peckham’s BMX Club where Olympic silver medallist Kye Whyte learnt to ride, is calling for the community to get involved to support future generations.

“We have some of the best athletes in the world and our members will be a lot happier with clean air in and around the BMX Track. We breathe in very hard air if we’re training, and clean air is going to give us the best performance for us to meet the Olympic team.”

Poetic Unity, a Brixton based charity that provides support to young people across the UK, has three poets performing their spoken word inspired by their frustrations around air pollution. Founder Ryan J. Matthews-Robinson commented:

Megan Garfitt Christensen created an interactive installation based around mapping the polluted lungs of Lambeth and Southwark. Visits were invited to show where they exercised in the two boroughs by kicking ink balls at a map. “For the LIVE+BREATHE campaign, I incorporated the values and messaging of the campaign, into a playful experiential design. Executed by creating a physical interactive poll, as a positive take on air pollution statistic maps; showing instead what people love to do outdoors.

Through the action of throwing balls, covered in coded paint colours taken from the branding of the campaign, at maps of Southwark and Lambeth. I created the map to look like a pair of grey, wonky lungs symbolic of the crisis this community is in, but which was turned into a colourful, joyful map by the people’s actions to express their love for being active outdoors, throughout the day’s event.  I was so proud to be able to create something to be part of a cause that I care deeply about, it has given me confidence in the nature and potential of my design practice. Being able to realise this project was such a wonderful opportunity to work with supportive people, [and] to practice logistical and communitive skills, which come after the design concept.

CeCe, a roller skate coach, and founder of CeCe Roller Skates, said:

“The quality of life is dependent on the air we breathe. This should never be taken for granted. It breaks my heart to know that people in my city are unknowingly endangered, whilst enjoying nature and the outdoors because of the poisonous effects of our city’s air pollution.”

Peace Ballers is a social enterprise that creates peace in local communities by developing good identities in young men through football and entrepreneurship. During the event, they will be holding a football tournament. Zion Zachary, director at Peace Ballers said: “Having been made more aware of the issue of air pollution in our borough and being an enterprise that primarily holds its activities outdoors, we felt it important to support the campaign. Most of our members are unaware of these issues so the event will be an opportunity to educate them further, so they see the significance of such an issue and how it affects them.”

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Love Ssega performed at Billie Ellish’s UK tour ‘Happier Than Before’ on 16th June at the London O2 Arena as part of climate seminar ‘Overheated’.