Celebrating World Oceans Day 2015 around the World

Article Index

Together we reach further and higher!

More than 120 young people from 10 countries were inspired by the World Oceans Day Declaration "The Ocean and the Human Family" to the point of responding to the invitation by Mundus maris to send in their individual or group work. They are from Argentina, Bangladesh, Belgium, Cameroon, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal and USA. 

Mundus maris Awards recognise works of young people from around the world, who have sent in their ideas and stories in three challenges:

  • What would you do if you were to decide on how we could care better for the Ocean? Write up a story.

  • What is your dream for the Ocean in the future? Write up a story.

  • What is your dream for the Ocean in the future? Draw up a cartoon.

In each challenge, three age groups were distinguished: up to 12 years, 13 to 18 years, 19 to 24 years. See more here. 

An international Jury assessing the submissions for Mundus maris Awards carefully examined all submissions. These were in English, French and Spanish. The Jury looked primarily at the strength of the idea and innovative approaches but also the technical execution. It then determined the most interesting ones and assigned prizes in the name of threatened marine animals to help get us all connected to the Ocean:

  • Special Bluefin Tuna Prize - 300 Euro
  • Sea Lion Prize - 200 Euro
  • Turtle Prize - 100 Euro
  • Shark Prize - 50 Euro
  • Samba and Kumba Encouragement Prize - 30 Euro.

The international jury was composed of experienced personalities with a commitment for youth opportunities and for exploring and protecting the ocean. Mundus maris thanks all members whole-heartedly for the wonderful work accomplished and the great care with which all jury members worked towards a consensual appreciation of the youth efforts. The members of the jury were (in alphabetical order):

  • Francesca Conti, Formica Blu, Rome, Italy
  • Cristina Dellepiane, Foreign Affairs Ministery, Argentina, former teacher
  • Frannie Léautier, former Vice-President Africa, World Bank, Tanzania/France
  • Grita Löbsack, EU interpreter, Spain/Germany
  • Anthony Mwaniki, Communications Officer, Eco Ethics Kenya
  • Doudou Ndiaye, school teacher and Assistant to the Presidency of the Republic of Senegal, assigned to the Minister, Counsellor in charge of Human Rights and Peace
  • Sandy Puleston, Director of Solid Waste Management at Monte Hermoso County, Argentina, environmental activist
    supported by Aníbal Seleme, Prof. emerit. President of the “Asociación de Graduados en Ciencias Biológicas”, Buenos Aires City, and of “Fed. de Asociaciones Profesionales de Graduados en Ciencias Biológicas”, Argentina
  •  Jan Seys, Communications Officer, VLIZ, Oostende, Belgium

Patricia Morales of Louvain University and Board member of Mundus maris ensured the coordination.

Click here to see the description of the prize categories.


 

And the winners are...

The Jury unanimously selected Stephanie González, from Monte Hermoso, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, 18 years with her cartoon titled "Pensar el mar" (Think the Sea) as winner of the Special Bluefin Tuna Prize. Congratulations!

The jury selected four winners of the Sea Lion Prize:

  • Gimena Salcedo and Milagros Ailén Martínez from Monte Hermoso, 16 years, for their dream ocean story in the age group 13 to 18 years, "El mar, una forma de vida" (The sea, a form of life),
  • Damaris Mghambi from the Star of the Sea Primary School, Mombasa, Kenya, 12 years, excelled with her cartoon "Your health, my health" in the age group up to 12 years,
  • Stefanía Ayelén Garcia, 13 years from Monte Hermoso, with her management advice "¿Qué harías si tuvieras que decidir cómo cuidar mejor los océanos?" (What would you do if you had to decide who to care better for the oceans) submitted in the age group from 13 to 18 years,
  • Stephens Omonon Margaret, 18 years, from Akute, Ogun State, Nigeria, for her well written and referenced management piece titled "My Dream for the Ocean" in the same group..

 

The Jury also conferred Turtle Prizes on seven individual or group participants, four were in the dream ocean text category in different age groups, two were cartoons and one was in the category of how to care better for the ocean:

  • The Kindergarten in Spa - CRIE de Spa, Belgium, who had submitted a lovely illustrated text about the ocean visiting the Ardennes. This was result of a nature stage attended by 15 kids with Vinciane Mathieu as pedagogical coordinator,
  • Bubacarr Jarju, from the Serrekunda Lower Basic School in the Gambia, with his nicely illustrated dream story "Prince of the Ocean" in the age category 13 to 18 years,
  • Syed R. Tanzim, from Bangladesh, for his illustrated dream text "A dive into the future".
  • Yanou Ndjaba Lea Ornela, 19 years, from Cameroon, for her illustrated dream ocean text titled "Il était une fois... " (Once upon a time...), recognised in the age group 19 to 24 years,
  • Elizabeth Njeri, 13 years, from Star of the Sea Primary School, Mombasa, Kenya, for her cartoon with a snapshot of marine biodiversity, submitted in the age group from 13 to 18 years,
  • Mariam Aboul, 13 years, also from Star of the Sea Primary School with a cartoon in the same category and age group.
  • Quadri Blessing Emmanuel, 24 years, from Owutu, Ikorodu in Lagos State, Nigeria, has been recognised for his illustrated text on how to care better for the ocean in the age group 19 to 24 years.

The jury also recognised the following participants for the Shark Prize:

  • Ecole primaire Khadim in Hann directed by Magath Diop with a team composed of three girls and six boys. The story about the ocean of their dreams in the age group of up to 12 year-olds is titled "sur notre rêve" (About our Dream).
  • Imat Rohimat, 19 years, from Indonesia submitted his dream ocean story in the age group 19 to 24 years and titled it "Blue Economy for Indonesia".
  • Fadairo Bamikole Festus, 11 years, from the FUTA Staff School in Akure, Nigeria submitted his winning ocean care text in the age group of up to 12 year-olds under the title "Water, water, water". Mrs. Adams A.B. is his instructor. 
  • Adebayo Kehinde, 24 years, from Alagomeji, Yaba in Lagos State, Nigeria wrote successfully about how to take better care of the ocean in the age group 19 to 24 years.

Finally, the jury awarded the Samba and Kumba Encouragement Prize to participants, who did not quite make the mark, but came close. The jury hopes that they feel stimulated to learn more about the ocean and its amazing life forms and help protect these creatures more effectively. Fishbase and SealifeBase are wonderful web archives to look up basic information about the names, biology and distribution of sea creatures.

Three encouragement prizes in the dream ocean text category for up to 12 year-olds:

  • Abdallah Swaleh, 12 years, from Kilifi Primary School, Kilifi, Kenya,
  • George Mary, 8 years, from the Next Level Academy, Akure, Nigeria,
  • Olowooke Marvelous, 9 years, also from the Next Level Academy in Akure, Nigeria.

In the category of dream cartoons in the age group 19 to 24 years, Encouragement prizes were garnered by

  • Essomba Jean Patrice and Nguekam Piewe Othniel Yvan from Cameroon, coached by Ms Jeauberte Djamou Tchuidjio, who also supported other participants from the country,
  • Quadri Blessing Emmanuel from Nigeria for his second submission.

Last but not least, another Encouragement Prize each went also to Khadim Primary School for their second submission in the category of management advice for up to 12 year-olds and to Rose Muthoni Kariuki, 14 years, from Kongowea Primary School, Mombasa, in the age group 13 to 18 years.

CONGRATULATIONS to all participants, particularly the winners of Mundus maris awards 2015! See all the winners at one glance here.

The best entries will now be prepared for publication in a multi-media book on the web. The book will be open access to encourage many other young people to connect to the ocean as well. The editorial work is planned to be a group effort among several groups, who also excelled through organising specific World Ocean Day events or otherwise demonstrate sustained commitment.

The collaboration between Mundus maris and several other organisations also organised several events on or just before World Oceans Day.


Celebrating World Oceans Day at the Environment Fair in Brussels, Belgium

Once a year, the Environment Fair in Brussels is a platform for thousands of citizens to connect to all aspects of living more sustainably together.

This year's fair took place on 7 June in the 50aire Park, just one day before World Oceans Day. 25,000 visitors filed through the stands and activities during the day.

It was an excellent opportunity to inform the visitors about key threats to the integrity of the ocean and what they could do about it themselves and  together with Mundus maris and many others. In splendid weather the Mundus maris stand was a magnet for visitors from the beginning of the programme at 11h to the end at 19h.

Many visitors at the stand had a general sense that overfishing was a problem but were surprised to learn about its extent. They were simply unaware that a large number of marine species in Europe and around the world is threatened by extinction. Despite Brussels being the battle ground for the reform of the European Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) for more than three years, few visitors had heard that the new policy adopted by the European Parliament and the Council in 2013/14 made overfishing illegal. Even fewer realised how difficult the implementation of the new provisions were.

Closer to home, the fish rulers on display and for distribution visualised the minimum length of maturity of common fish species in the North Sea, the Baltic and in other seas. They were a welcome anchor to connect policy to consumption practice. None of the many visitors of the stand could comprehend why it should still be legal to catch and land cod at 35 cm, when the length at maturity is twice that.

We screened the film "Finding Nemo" and it was watched by a lot of people, both young and old. They stopped to enjoy the story at least in part and were surprised to learn that one in six characters of the film was a threatened species.

Quite a few people took the quiz that asked four questions about the degree of threat to species groups represented in "Finding Nemo".

A fifth question asked the highest price paid for Atlantic Bluefin Tuna on the Tokyo fish market to reflect together about how a species so much in demand for fashionable sushi and sashimi could be protected from terminal decline.

Only one visitor leaving the filled in quiz for the prize drawing got all the answers right! Congratulations to the winner of the Mundus maris cup featuring our mascots Samba and Kumba, the tireless activists to protect baby fish. The right answers were:

  • 57% of hammerhead sharks (Anchor in "Finding Nemo) are threatened
  • 80% of Mako sharks (Bruce)
  • 50% of eagle rays (Mr. Raie)
  • 100% of turtles (Crush, Squirt)
  • 1,758,000 $ paid for one specimen of Bluefin Tuna

We realised how much more awareness raising is needed to help citizens navigate the murky waters of wide-spread fraud of species substitution in the (super)market and of fish that comes from illegal, unregulated and unreported fisheries.

The demand for information was high. But we understand that a lot more basics are needed to empower people to understand the issues and adjust their own action accordingly.

The jars with normal water and a sea shell and acidified water attacking the shell of a gastropod was acknowledged by visitors as an effective tool to illustrate the effects of climate change and ocean acidification for marine life.

The peak event of the day was the announcement of the ceremony at the Mundus maris stand of the winners of the Mundus maris Awards for World Oceans Day. The announcement was made through the central loudspeaker system of the fair.

At 15h30 sharp the Kindergarten in Spa (CRIE de Spa), represented through the pedagogical coordinator Vinciane Mathieu and the family of one of the participating kids, were honoured as winners of a Turtle Prize in the category 'Telling a story of the dream ocean' in the age group of up to 12 year-olds.

They developed their lovely story during a stage from 7 to 10 April 2015. It's all about the ocean visiting the Ardennes and the adventures of the young explorers looking for traces of these visits in pre-history. Congratulations to the happy winners of this and all other Mundus maris Awards 2015.

There were a number of other attractions during the day, including Mundus maris Samba and Kumba colouring pages, flyers and book marks in different languages and lots of engaged conversations. Let's make our shared love for the ocean and the wonderful human encounters a feature of our daily lives, not only on World Oceans Day, but every day!


Celebrating World Oceans Day in Monte Hermoso, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina

The municipality of Monte Hermoso and Mundus maris agreed to conduct an extensive programme to celebrate World Oceans Day 2015 and engage citizens and many other institutions in the drive to protect the ocean more effectively. The tourist and fishing town of Monte Hermoso, in the Province of Buenos Aires, committed to set an example for all coastal communities in the country in this occasion.

The programme started on World Oceans Day, 8 June, in the morning with information stands with posters and banners which attracted a lot of public attention and allowed interaction between inhabitants and the associations and institutions exposing their activities.

The main event took place in the packed cultural center. In the occasion, the litter separation programme - Monte Separa - was presented to the public. Sandy Puleston, Director of Solid Waste Management of the county has been a driving force in this project.

Separating garbage is important to recover resources thanks for a recycling plant that had been commissioned a few months ago. The plant is located in the west entrance of Monte Hermoso and only meters away from the fishing station.

On this subject, the participants could watch two videos, one on the recycling activity featuring plant workers and another one about the importance of the fishing sector, represented through the voice of old fishermen from the village.

Mayor Marcos Luis Fernández talked emphatically about the recycling plant, which undoubtedly needs the support of the population to be successful. The members of the cooperative Las Gaviotas are those working the separated litter material that come to the plant. It needs to become a perfect win-win situation, with less pollution on the land and the sea, a cleaner town and good recovery of valuable materials which also create future-proof jobs.

Regarding World Oceans Day more specifically a panel of personalities spoke about the importance of respecting, studying and protecting the ocean as a giver of life, food and jobs. Prof. em. Anibal Seleme, President of the Federation of Professional Associations of Graduates in Biological Sciences and Dr. Marcelo Morales Yokobori of Mundus maris in Argentina took the floor.

Dr. Marcelo Morales Yokobori emphasised in particular, how the different ways of earning a living need to be seen as a whole and compatible with one another - an ecologically and ecologically viable tourism and a sustainable fishery all benefitting from waste treatment and recycling.

This session also featured two video-conferences, one with Guillermo Cañete responsible Marine Programme, Argentina Wildlife Foundation and another one with Dr. Cornelia E Nauen of Mundus maris in Belgium.

One of the highlights was the announcement of the winners of the Mundus maris Awards selected by the international jury. Several were from Monte Hermoso, in particular the only Bluefin Tuna Prize that went to Gimena Salcedo and Milagros Ailén Martínez, 16 years, for their dream ocean story in the age group 13 to 18 years, "El mar, una forma de vida" (The sea, a form of life).

Other points in the programme were a brief tribute to the sailors who died at sea on the Rambla overlooking the ocean and a formal act during which Marcelo Morales Yokobori, representing Mundus maris, received the Declaration of Public Interest from the president of the Honorable Council of Monte Hermoso, Cesar David Quintana, and a Diploma of Gratitude from the Mayor. Aníbal Seleme, President of the Federation of Professional Biological Science Graduates Associations and a particularly dynamic member of the organising committee received a honorary diploma from Mundus maris for his tireless effort to make World Oceans Day a big success in Argentina.

The different activities were extensively covered in the tv, print, audio and other media. The short video summerising the event can be seen here. All fotos courtesy of Fabio Latorre.

AnibalSeleme_Platea.jpgCommemoraton.jpgInfoNaval.jpgMayor_fishersMH.jpgPackedAudience.jpg


The Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria Celebrates 2015 World Oceans Day.

The World Oceans Day is celebrated every 8th of June annually since the General Assembly of the UN established it in 1993.

In collaboration with Mundus maris, the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) joined the global community to celebrate the 2015 World Oceans Day events in the packed T. I. Francis Auditorium FUTA.

The organising committee with Dr. Lydia Mosunmola Adeleke in the executive hot chair had managed to involve university staff, children and teachers of several primary schools and other interested people to a wonderful event in two parts.

Framed by prayers and thanks giving the programme comprised academic talks and a youth activities. In the first part, two keynote speakers took the floor: Professor Y. A. Asiwaju-Bello spoke on “Contributions of the geosciences to help recover stressed coastal oceans” and Professor O. T. Adebayo spoke on the topic “Opportunities and limitations of aquaculture for addressing overfishing in the ocean”.

Prof. Y. A. Asiwaju-Bello said: Africa stand erect in the ocean (Atlantic and India Oceans) despite the resultant forces. 

He further stressed that both human beings and oceans are linked and everything that affect the oceans affects humans as well.

He also said there are mineral resources along the coast that also sports a great wealth of organisms. That biodiversity plays an important role in healthy and well functioning marine and coastal ecosystems, but was under pressure from overfishing, oil pollution and climate change.

The state of the marine and coastal environment influences human activities and conversely was stressed by human activities. It was important to study the ocean and life in the ocean systematically. All science disciplines can make useful contribution to understanding the sea and the coast. He therefore concluded that all spheres of science should be involved in bringing the coast back to it original position and restore its former productivity.

In his talk, Professor O. T. Adebayo noted: The oceans are the origin of life and play a critical role in regulating our climate and maintaining suitable living conditions for our civilisation.

The plants in the ocean, mostly microscopic plankton algae, produce 50% of the oxygen we breathe. Because human CO2 emissions provoke acidification of the waters these algae with calcareous skeletons find it more difficult to hold their bodies together. So, should they fail to produce this oxygen, there will be no humans. ´No oceans - No life` (Adeleke, 2015 (song)).

Prof. Adebayo further elaborated on the causes of overfishing. He suggested that excessive consumption of bad fishing practices are the cause. Therefore, he recommended that one should have backyard fish farms of tilapia and other plant eating fish whenever possible. These fish do not need to be fed animal proteins, such as smaller fish, humans could eat directly. He also encouraged the youth to study/read fisheries and aquaculture, if possible, take it as a profession.

The pupils from the FUTA staff primary school and Next level Academy were not left out in showing the audience playlets all directing to the 2015 WOD theme of the Mundus maris Awards: “The Ocean and the Human Family”. The celebrations then went into the next phase with active involvement of kids.

The Chairman of the occasion, Prof. O. A. Fagbenro, handed honorary diplomas over to all Akure based participants of the 2015 Mundus maris contest to recognise their efforts and creative engagement for the Ocean. Master Fadairo Bankole Festus from the FUTA Staff Primary School, Nigeria, emerged winner of a Shark Prize in the category “How to care better for the Ocean” in the age group up to 12 years, while George Mary and Olowookere Marvellous from Next Level Academy, Akure, Nigeria, emerged as winners of Samba and Kumba Encouragement Prizes for their Ocean Dream Cartoons in the age group up to 12 years.

The celebrations closed with thanks and prayers and “family photos” of participants in front of the informative posters within relevant information about the marine environment.

For more pictures visit the FaceBook page of the Nigeria event.


 

World Oceans Day Celebration in Senegal - 2015 Edition
The soccer "Ocean Tournament” and beach clean-up: We honour the Bay of Hann

The Mundus maris team in Senegal

The Bay of Hann, formerly considered one of the most beautiful in the world is today so polluted that it worries many. This pollution affects not only the water of the Bay but also results in amounts of garbage piling up along the entire coastline. Responsibilities are laid at the doorsteps of different actors and factors. First, we have seen an urbanisation of the city of Dakar and its peri-urban neighbourhoods. This phenomenon has led to population increase and resulted in pipes dumping household waste into the bay. Second, all industries in Greater Dakar and its suburbs discharge their waste into the bay. Household waste and industrial discharge are transported to the Bay of Hann through channels called Canal 6 and Canal 6a respectively. The two drainage channels were built by French settlers originally with one objective: evacuate the rain water from the agglomeration of Dakar to Hann Bay. The local population, with a significant demographic growth in a very small space, is adding to the problem by dumping their own garbage because the municipal authorities do not have a collection system in place.

The pollution of the Bay has reached such a level that one of our partners, in this case the pupils of the Khadim Primary School in Hann produced a sketch entitled: “Hann Bay, our sick neighbour”. Incidentally, the school won a Shark Prize in the international contest for Mundus maris Awards 2015 for their dream story about a clean Hann Bay.

It is in this context that the young people of Hann fishing community, together with Mundus maris, dedicated the celebration of the 2015 edition to awareness creation through sport, followed by a beach clean up on 8 June. The aim was to awaken a collective awareness regarding the accelerated state of degradation of this environment.

As mass sport has nowadays still a tangible capacity to mobilise people, and particularly youths, football was chosen. This decision was taken consensually with the protagonists (associations, specialised soccer training schools in the community of Hann). Mundus maris and partners have also decided to insert the tournament into the annual calendar as from 2015 and named it "Ocean Tournament".

The tournament began in May and took place over a period of around one month. The matches took place effectively over two weeks, with the finals on 7 June. The Ocean Tournament involved several categories: Junior, Cadet and Pupil (small children) of the 8 foot ball training schools in the community of Hann Pêcheurs and two peripheral neighborhoods of this town. In fact, our local partners we have also suggested to involve, in addition to young people of the coast, those of Hann Village and the Marist district, as they collaborate with football training centers with native coaches from these communities for a greater impact.

The desire to systematise the partnership between Mundus maris and local actors for celebrating World Oceans Day in each edition, resulted in the establishment, in 2015, of an organising committee after several preparatory meetings. That committee is composed of Moustapha Mbaye, young volunteer with MM who represents us there, Babacar Ciss called Gabou, dean of the local coaches, Alassane Diallo, in charge of com for tournament purposes, and one representative of each of the 8 football training centers.

The partnership between these local actors and MM developed satisfactorily since each party has played its partition. Mundus maris covered all costs related to the acquisition of the various trophies and awards (balls, cups), including those introduced for the first time in this context, such as gold and silver-plated medals and trophies specially designed for the best referee and scorer, etc ... For the less than 13 year-olds other rewards were added (school materials for drawing and painting). 

MM has also given support to cover expenses related to the rental of tarpaulins, sound installations and two banners, not to mention the compensation for the griot Birane Samb, who has tirelessly invested his time and skills for the success for the preparation and entire duration of this event. He has not only promoted the 2015 edition but also acted as a key commentator during the playoffs and finals.

Our partners along the coast made great contributions, which would be difficult to quantify purely in financial terms. Indeed, with a tournament that arouses so much interest and involved 8 training schools, we had to think of everything, including, inter alia: the draws, the recruitment of a professional referee from the Department of Pikine who is recognised by the relevant football authorities, the establishment of a security service for the crowds, the programme of the competition from the first games to the final not to mention the educational dimension about the ocean. The members of the organising committee worked on a voluntary basis devoting their time and skills on the sets of activities.

The Ocean Tournament: Its contribution for the celebration of 8 June

The tournament now called "Ocean Tournament" is designed to stay. The playoffs took place on at least three different terrains: Soccer Field Tool Bi, Maracana Field and the municipal Plot in the Marist district, with finals in all categories on June 7 at Field Tool Bi. The contribution of the tournament to World Oceans Day was made palpable in two ways. First, for at least two weeks, the time of the playoffs, a constant message was disseminated: Let's mobilise for safeguarding Hann Bay when celebrating World Oceans Day, 8 June 2015, by participating in cleaning the beach of the Bay. This was the message the griot Birane Samb, now called "griot of the Ocean", has passed at all games. Given the number of games played in the playoffs, we can say without exaggeration that more than 450 young people have heard this message.

Far from doing just an isolated activity, the soccer tournament was initiated this year with longer-term ambitions. First, starting with the 2015 edition, we aim at doing more communication on a broader scale about the merits of World Oceans Day. We do that with more focus on the theme of the Bay whose polluted state is no longer sustainable. Then, there is the desire to motivate players in the sports world to serve as opinion leaders so that they can incorporate issues related to pollution in the Bay. The mere fact of having it designated as "Ocean Tournament" clearly shows the concern to operate now in this context. Indeed, we do not want to confine ourselves to the event today, to forget the next day(s). The rehabilitation of the Bay requires a mobilisation of the population, especially the younger generation, whose future is threatened by such a polluted environment, so much so that bathing is prohibited in many places. The initiatives taken in favour of the Bay take various forms: the “interception” of elected officials in charge of the environment, outreach to residents to persuade them to be more respectful of their environment, etc.

The griot, who was one of the main communicators of this edition, was also charged to pass this key message in a few targeted areas as public announcer, weaving it into the advertisment for the tournament.

The finals and awards in all categories

The final of the cadet category was won by the training center called Mame Rokhaya, led by Mr Pape Diouf, its coach. The other finalist was School-Foot Mountain 6. Aliou Sall, Vice President of Mundus maris handed the awards to the finalists: for Mame Rokhaya a trophy and a soccer ball, and for Mountain 6 several balls.

The final of juniors was also won by the center Mame Rokhaya against the training center called "School Football". The awards offered by Mundus maris for the final were presented by several invited people. The winner received a trophy, a ball and gold plated medals, while the second received silver plated medals and a ball.

On the occasion of this final, other quite original tokens for community sports were also awarded:

  • A trophy specially designed to recognise the arbiters;

  • A trophy designed to honour the top scorer of the less than 13-14 year-olds;

  • A small batch of school supplies for the two best jugglers, who also had a performance for this major event to celebrate the oceans in this fishing village.

World Oceans Day itself, June 8, was dedicated to cleaning the beach of the Bay

Volunteers to clean the Bay were soccer practitioners, reinforced by associations from the following neighborhoods: Hann Mountain (Montagne), Hann Beach and the floating neighborhood SOTIBA. A total of four soccer associations and four schools participated actively in the 8th June activities: cleaning the Bay, followed by Beach Soccer tournament. In view the size of the beach to be cleaned and the effort required to oversee all this, we entrusted the monitoring and coordination of this activity to two volunteers, Moustapha Mbaye, young volunteer member of the local Mundus maris team, and Alassane Diallo, in charge of communication of the soccer schools and contact for all schools.

Like for the Ocean Tournament, different awards were offered by Mundus maris: cups for the most embellished district, for the winning team of beach soccer, food and cash envelopes just days before the start of Ramadan. The commitment of young people from riparian neighborhoods made them pool their efforts to clean the beach with whatever equipment (shovels, rakes, etc.) they could borrow from any person who had a tool that can contribute to the beautification of the Bay. The waste collected during this operation was conveyed to the discharge of the urban community, using whatever means were available. Around 225 young people participated in this operation in different parts of the Bay.

The strategy adopted collegially within the organising committee was educationally effective. This was to show how important it is to help maintain the beaches clean - in this case Hann Bay - for our well-being. Providing youth, deprived of leisure space, the ability to practice beach soccer was much appreciated.

The cleaning operation started at 9am and ended around 13:00. And it was only after making this human investment, the tournament was held from 14h to 18h30.

Here are the winners of the Mundus maris Awards in the local celebrations:

  • Trophy to the most embellished neighbourhood: the youth of Hann Magasin district
  • Trophy to the winner of beach soccer tournament for juniors School football
  • Cash envelope of 25,000 FCFA: the best scorer of the Beach Soccer
  • Cash envelope of 15,000 FCFA: the second best scorer of the Beach Soccer
  • Set of sugar and milk packets to various representatives of the 8 participating beach soccer schools (four soccer schools and four neighborhood associations in total who participated in the demonstration on June 8).

Let's keep the beach clean throughout the year and strive for a general clean-up to restore Hann Bay to its former glory.

Fotos by Aliou Sall and team.


World Oceans Day celebrations in Baobab Beach, Kilifi County, Kenya

HEALTHY OCEANS, HEALTHY PLANET - this was the overarching message of celebrations orchestrated by Eco Ethics Kenya with its partners and sponsors, including Mundus maris. Already since several years, Eco Ethics Kenya is actively engaged in building awareness on the importance of conserving and safeguarding our oceans. They ask: Why do we celebrate world oceans day? and answer for all of us - The world’s ocean:

  •  Generates most of the oxygen we breathe
  •  Is a home to a number of aquatic life
  •  Regulates our climate
  •  Cleans the water we drink
  • Offers a pharmacopoeia of potential medicines e.t.c

This year’s objectives were;

 Change perspective – encourage individuals to think about what the ocean means to them and what it has to offer all of us with hopes of conserving it for present and the future generations.

 Learn – discover the wealth of diverse and beautiful ocean creatures and habitats, how our daily actions affect them, and how we are all interconnected.

 Change our ways – we are all linked to, and through, the ocean! By taking care of your backyard and helping in your community, you are acting as a caretaker of our ocean. Making small modifications to your everyday habits will help and involving your family, friends, and community will greatly benefit our blue planet!

 Celebrate – whether you live inland or on the coast we are all connected to the ocean.Take the time to think about how the ocean affects you, and how you affect the ocean, and then organize or participate in activities that celebrate our ocean.

This year’s event was held at Baobab Beach in Kilifi County under the theme ‘Healthy oceans, Healthy planet’ ´ under which all the WOD undertakings were orchestrated. The event attracted a wide array of guests and participants drawn from various sectors and industries directly or indirectly linked to the oceans.

Procession

The event commenced with a procession starting from Kibaoni Stage and leading its way through Kilifi town via Charo wa Mae road up to the designated site. The procession was flagged off by the VC Pwani University Prof. Rajab Mohammed. The march was led by scouts form the Kenya Scouts Association. Present too were representatives of several CSO’s and NGO’s.

The procession successfully captured the attention of the community who gladly joined in the Beach Clean-up. The guests, school children and community took up part in the beach cleanup which was coordinated by Where Talent Lives – Kilifi. A challenge experienced was the school children mistaking the sea weeds for trash, which underlined the importance to use World Oceans Day for creating awareness on the ocean and its ecosystem.  

Messages and speeches

 Mr. Kevin Chemorei from Kenya Red Cross, Kilifi County, reported that their organisation is active through regular beach clean ups.

Dr. Okeyo Benards, Director Eco Ethics, gave a detailed history of the World Oceans Day since its ratification on 22nd December 2008. He called upon every person to give more attention to the oceans and advised the government to formulate policies that could aid in protecting the ocean resources. He further thanked everyone for their support and participation for making the day a success.

The guest of honour; Mr. Ernest Maina, the Regional Director of NEMA Kilifi County, acknowledged the ocean being vital in terms of people’s livelihoods for those inhabiting areas around the coast and those up country as a gateway to Kenya. He emphasised on the importance of environmental education in schools. He added that learning institutions should instill values of sustainability to students as it would create a culture of environmental awareness and conservation. He challenged the public to properly utilize the ocean resources and take proactive measures in protecting them.

Awards

The various schools that participated in the Eco-Club challenge were awarded, with most awards going to Star of The Sea Primary School. This year, the students submitted a variety of artwork ranging from drawings, crafting and some expressed their passion on conservation via essays. The students who participated in the Mundus maris Awards contest were also handed honorary diplomas. Several won distinct prizes.

Enjoy the video about the event: click here.