The Climate Sisters project, part of the Feminist Green New Deal project, is funded by Propel. The project aims to make systemic change by amplifying marginalised women’s voices in climate justice debates and in the transition to a low-carbon economy.
CLIMATE SISTERS SHOWCASE
Theatre performance
As the Climate Sisters programme drew to a close for the first year of the programme, the journey was marked with a powerful and moving end of year celebration, a showcase that will stay in our hearts for a long time. With a strong sense of the power of collectivity, the women chose to collaborate on a joint final creative piece and this took the form of what became an acclaimed theatre performance that took place at Brady Arts Centre, with tech, lighting, scripts, costumes, sound effects, the whole shebang.
Performing in Sylheti and English
The spotlight was on 15 incredible women that made the Stitches in Time Climate Sisters cohort. The first language spoken was Sylheti and thus the performance reflected this, having sections translated to English. Decentralising English made the space more accessible for audience members and placed value on the knowledge held. The women came together to write, design, and perform an original piece about climate change and its devastating impact on Bangladesh delving into the story of how life in Bangladesh has changed as the planet warms up.
A new experience
For many of the women, this was a completely new experience. Having dedicated time to be creative – to explore, express, and play – opened up possibilities that had previously felt out of reach. With this space and support, their creativity flourished, and powerful, imaginative work emerged.
One of the Climate sisters’ daughters said she was so happy that her mum was having this chance to be creative and work on something that’s for her as opposed to the invisible labour she’s been doing all her life. This sentiment was echoed throughout the group, as props were made, huge khodu, tomato, trees, boats and more made from thrown out cardboard boxes that a few weeks earlier the women had been out sourcing from neighbourly businesses.
Not just a first performance, but a first experience of stepping onto a stage, sharing knowledge publicly, and creating theatre from scratch, completely from scratch, in the beginning we had a repurposed role of wallpaper that we used to storyboard on.
[storyboarding and props made]
What made this project truly special wasn’t just the powerful performance, but the process to a place of recognition and expression of experience and expertise the climate sisters had on it and connected issues. The women made their own props, helped design the stage layout, and worked together every step of the way. There was laughter, there were nerves, but mostly, there was pride. So much pride and space for all personalities within the group. Some women came straight to the front and some women began the process with a quieter voice and by the end were actively asserting their views on stage with an audience in the post show Q&A.
Rooted in lived experience
The script being in Sylheti, worked further at amplifying underrepresented marginalised and racialised women’s voices in climate justice debates whilst ensuring that the performance remained deeply personal and rooted in lived experience, seeking to address the absence of Bangladeshi women’s voices in the climate change conversation.
The show was a vivid and emotional journey through floods, displacement, and resilience, all told through the Climate Sister’s own words and perspectives. Narratives were shared that we don’t often see in the mainstream, one memorable part of the show was about the relocation of garment production to Bangladesh and its associated labour conditions, emissions and waste, all of which impact the people and land in Bangladesh as a result of the behaviours and activities of the West, with the connections being made to British colonialism.
[stage set for the industrial scene]
Storytelling a tool to inspire change
Seeing the women stand tall on stage, voices clear and strong, was a celebration not only of what power there is when opportunities are available and spaces and places can be resourced through programmes like this, but of the purpose behind Climate Sisters: to amplify voices too often left out of climate conversations. This showcase reminded us that climate change is a human issue, and storytelling is one of the most powerful tools we have to inspire change.
[silhouette version of the final bows taken on stage to much applause]
More than an end of year celebration
We are so proud of what the Climate Sisters have achieved. This performance was more than just an end-of-year celebration, it was a declaration. A declaration that racialised and marginalised women’s stories matter, and that our voices will continue to rise.
Note: It was intentionally a photo-free event, designed to foster safety, autonomy, and freedom of expression without the pressure of documentation or the external gaze, as chosen by the Climate Sisters
