Mundus maris

Ensembles nous achevons plus!

Plus de 120 jeunes de 10 pays ont été inspirés par la Déclaration pour la Journée mondiale des océans «L'océan et de la famille humaine», au point de répondre à l'invitation de Mundus maris d'envoyer leur travail individuel our de groupe. Ils sont de l'Argentine, du Bangladesh, de la Belgique, du Cameroun, des Etats-Unis, de l'Indonésie, du Kenya, du Nigeria et du Sénégal.

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. Click here for the video summarising the event. All fotos courtesy of Fabio Latorre.

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.

 

Célébration de la Journée mondiale des océans au Sénégal – Edition 2015
Le foot « Tournoi de l'océan » et le nettoyage de la plage: La Baie de Hann à l'honneur

L'équipe Mundus maris au Sénégal

La Baie de Hann, considérée traditionnellement comme l'une des plus belles du monde est aujourd'hui dans un état de pollution qui inquiète plus d'un. Cette pollution touche non seulement le plan d'eau de la Baie mais aussi se traduit par des quantités d'ordures qui s'entassent sur tout le littoral. Les responsabilités sont à mettre sur le dos d'acteurs et de facteurs divers. Premièrement, nous avons assisté à une urbanisation de la ville de Dakar et ses quartiers péri-urbains. Ce phénomène qui s'est traduit par un accroissement démographique, s'est soldé par des canalisations des déchets ménagers déversés vers la Baie. Deuxièmement, toutes les industries de l'agglomération de Dakar et des ses quartiers périphériques déversent leurs déchets vers la Baie. Aussi bien les déchets ménagers que les déchets industriels sont acheminés vers la Baie de Hann, par les canaux appelés Canal 6 et Canal 6bis. Ces deux canaux d'évacuation étaient construits par les colons français avec un seul objectif : évacuer les eaux de pluie de l'agglomération de Dakar vers la Baie de Hann. A ces pollueurs, viennent s'ajouter les populations riveraines, avec un accroissement démographique important dans un espace très réduit, et qui déversent des ordures ménagères dont la collecte n'est pas assurée par les autorités municipales.

La pollution de la Baie a atteint un tel niveau qu'un de nos partenaires, en l’occurrence les jeunes élèves de l'école Khadim de Hann a produit un sketch qui s'intitule: « La Baie de Hann, notre voisine malade ». Notons aussi que l'école Khadim a gagné un Prix Réquin dans le concours international pour les Prix Mundus maris 2015 pour sa soumission «Sur notre rêve» (la Baie de Hann propre).

C'est dans ce contexte, qu'en partenariat avec Mundus maris, la jeunesse de la communauté de pêcheurs de Hann, a dédié la célébration de l'édition 2015 à une sensibilisation à travers le sport, suivi, dans la journée du 8 juin, d'un nettoyage de la plage; ceci dans le but d'éveiller une conscience collective sur l'état de dégradation accélérée de cet environnement et surtout de prôner des améliorations.

C'est ainsi que, le sport de masse ayant de nos jours des capacités de mobilisation des populations et en particulier de la jeunesse, le foot ball a été choisi. La décision a été prise de manière concertée avec les protagonistes (associations, écoles de formations spécialisées dans le foot ball de la communauté de Hann). Mundus maris et ses partenaires ont aussi décidé d'inscrire le tournoi dans l'agenda annuel à partir de 2015 et l'ont baptisé « Tournoi de l'océan ».

Le tournoi a débuté en mai et s'est déroulé sur une période d'un mois environs. Les matchs se sont déroulés de manière effective sur deux semaines, avec une finale ayant eu lieu pendant la journée du 7 juin. Le tournoi de l'océan a concerné plusieurs catégories : Junior, Cadet et Pupille (les petits) évoluant dans les 8 écoles de formation en foot ball que compte la communauté de Hann Pêcheurs et deux quartiers périphériques à cette localité. En effet, nos partenaires locaux nous ont aussi suggéré d'y associer, en plus des jeunes du littoral, ceux de Hann village et du quartier des Maristes, car ils collaborent avec leurs centres de formation en foot-ball avec des encadreurs natifs de ces communautés pour un plus grand impact.

La volonté de systématiser le partenariat entre Mundus maris et les acteurs locaux en vue d'une inscription de la célébration de la Journée mondiale des océans à chaque édition s'est traduit par la mise en place à partir de 2015 d'un comité d'organisation, au terme de quelques réunions de préparation qui ont eu lieu. Ledit comité est composé, entre autres de Moustapha Mbaye, jeune volontaire de l'équipe locale MM qui nous y représente, de Babacar Ciss dit Gabou, doyen des entraîneurs locaux, d'Alassane Diallo, chargé de la communication pour les besoins du tournoi et d'un représentant de chacun des 8 centres de formation en foot ball.

Le partenariat entre MM et ces acteurs locaux s'est passé de manière satisfaisante dans la mesure où chacune des deux parties a bien joué sa partition. Mundus maris a pris en charge tous les frais liés à l'acquisition des différents trophées et récompenses (ballons, coupes) et bien d'autres introduits pour la première fois dans ce milieu tels médailles plaqués or et argent, trophée spécialement conçus pour le meilleur arbitre et meilleur buteur, etc... A ces lots se sont ajoutées des récompenses pour les moins de 13 ans (équipements scolaires pour dessin et peinture).

MM a aussi donné un appui pour couvrir les frais liés à la location de bâches, la sonorisation et la confection de deux banderoles, sans compter la compensation du griot Birane Samb, qui s'est investi sans relâche à la réussite de cet événement pendant le temps que cela a duré. Ce dernier a non seulement assuré la promotion de l'édition 2015 mais aussi joué le rôle de reporter pendant les matchs éliminatoires et la finale.  

La contribution de nos partenaires a été grande et serait difficilement quantifiable en terme financier. En effet, avec un tournoi qui suscite tant de convoitise avec au moins 8 écoles de formation engagées, il fallait penser à tout, à savoir entre autres : les tirages au sort, le recrutement d'un arbitre professionnel venant du Département de Pikine et reconnu par les autorités compétentes du football, la mise en place d'un service de sécurité vue l'affluence, le déroulement de la compétition des premiers matchs jusqu'à la finale. Le comité d’organisation a mobilisé ses membres de manière volontaire pour piloter l'ensemble des activités en y consacrant leur temps et leur compétences.

Le Tournoi de l' océan : La contribution à la célébration du 8 juin

Le tournoi appelé dorénavant « Tournoi de l'océan » a été conçu pour s'inscrire dans la durabilité. Les matchs éliminatoires ont été disputés sur au moins trois terrains différents : Terrain Tool Bi, Terrain Maracana et Terrain municipal du quartier des Maristes, avec les finales toutes catégories confondues le 7 juin au terrain Tool Bi. La contribution du tournoi à la Journée mondiale des océans s'est faite de manière palpable de deux manières. Premièrement, pendant au moins deux semaines, le temps que cela a duré sur les terrains, un message constant a été véhicule : mobilisons pour la sauvegarde de la Baie de Hann en célébrant la Journée mondiale des océans, le 8 juin 2015, en participant au nettoyage de la Baie. Ce discours a été le message que le griot Birane Samb, dénommé dorénavant « griot de l'océan » a fait passer à tous les matchs. Compte tenu du nombre de matchs disputés lors des éliminatoires, on peut dire sans grossière erreur que plus de 450 jeunes ont entendu ce message.

Loin d'en faire juste une activité isolée, le tournoi de foot ball a été initié cette année-ci avec des ambitions à plus longue terme. D'abord, nous ambitionnons à partir de l'édition 2015, de faire davantage de communication et à plus large échelle sur le bien-fondé de la Journée mondiale des océans. Nous comptons le faire de manière plus ciblée sur la thématique de la Baie dont l'état de pollution n'est plus soutenable. Ensuite, il y'a le souci de motiver les acteurs du milieu sportif de servir comme relais d'opinion afin qu'ils puissent intégrer dans leurs missions de formateurs les questions liées à la pollution de la Baie. Le simple fait de l'avoir dénommé « Tournoi de l'océan » démontre bien le souci de l'inscire dorénavant dans ce contexte. En effet, nous ne voulons plus nous cantonner à de l'événementiel qui consiste à faire une journée, pour oublier le lendemain. La réhabilitation de la Baie demande une mobilisation de la population, en particulier de la jeune génération dont l'avenir est menacé par un environnement si pollué, à tel point que la baignade est interdite dans bien d'endroits. La prise d'initiatives en faveur de la Baie est envisagée sous diverses formes: l'interpellation des élus en charge de l'environnement, une veille de proximité auprès des riverains afin de les persuader d'être plus respectueux de leur environnement, etc .

Au delà du rôle joué par le griot, qui a été un des principaux communicateurs de cette édition-ci, ce dernier a été chargé de passer le message clé dans quelques quartiers ciblés comme annonceur public, en guise de publicité pour le tournoi.

La finale toutes catégories confondues et les primés

La finale de la catégorie des cadets a été remportée par le Centre de formation appelé Mame Rokhaya, dirigé par Mr Pape Diouf, son coach. L'autre finaliste était Ecole de Foot de Montagne 6. Les finalistes ont reçu en récompense, remis par Aliou Sall, vice président de Mundus maris: pour Mame Rokhaya un trophée et un ballon, et pour Montagne 6 des ballons.

La finale des juniors a été aussi remportée par le Centre de foot Mame Rokhaya au détriment de Centre de formation appelé « Ecole Foot ». Les récompenses offertes par Mundus maris pour cette finale ont été décernés par plusieurs personnes invitées. Le vainqueur a reçu un trophée, un ballon et des médailles plaquées or alors que le vaincu a reçu des médailles plaquées en argent et un ballon.

A l'occasion de cette finale, d'autres récompenses assez originales pour les sportifs de la communauté ont été décernées :

• un trophée spécialement conçu pour récompenser les arbitres ;

• un trophée conçu pour récompenser un meilleur buteur des moins de 13-14 ans ;

• un petit lot d'articles scolaires pour les deux meilleurs jongleurs, qui ont fait aussi une prestation lors de ce grand événement du foot ball pour fêter les océans dans ce village de pêcheurs.

La Journée mondiale des océans proprement dite, le 8 juin, consacrée au nettoyage de la plage de la Baie

Les volontaires pour le nettoyage de la Baie ont été les pratiquants du sport, auxquels se sont joints les associations des quartiers suivants : Hann Montagne, Hann Plage et le quartier flottant de Sotiba. Au total, quatre associations de quartiers et quatre écoles de foot ball ont participé de manière active à la journée du 8 juin : nettoyage de la Baie, suivi du tournoi de Beach Soccer. Vue l'ampleur de l'espace et les efforts requis pour superviser tout cela, nous avons confié le suivi et la coordination de cette activité à deux personnes volontaires, Moustapha Mbaye, jeune volontaire membre de l'équipe locale de Mundus maris, et Alassane Diallo, chargé de la communication de l'École Foot et répondant pour toutes les écoles de foot.

Comme pour le Tournoi de l'océan, des récompenses ont été offerts par MM sous plusieurs formes: coupes pour le quartier qui a le plus embelli, pour l'équipe gagnante du beach soccer, remise de denrées alimentaires et d'enveloppes d'argent cash à quelques jours du début du ramadan. On a assisté à un engagement de la part des jeunes des quartiers partants qui ont mis en commun leur efforts pour nettoyer la plage au moyen d'équipements (pelles, râteaux, etc.) qu'ils ont pu emprunter chez toute personne pouvant contribuer à l'embellissement de la Baie. Les déchets ramassés lors de cette opération ont été convoyés vers les décharges de la communauté urbaine, utilisant les moyens de bord. Environs 225 jeunes ont participé à cette opération sur différents points de la Baie.

La stratégie retenue de manière collégiale au sein du comité d'organisation a été efficace sur le plan pédagogique. Il s'agissait de montrer en quoi il est important de contribuer au maintien des plages – dans ce cas-ci la Baie - pour notre bien être en offrant aux jeunes, privés d'espace de loisir, la possibilité de pratiquer le Beach Soccer.

L'opération de nettoyage a démarré à 9h pour se terminer vers 13h00. Et ce n'est qu'après avoir fait cet investissement humain, que le tournoi s'est déroulé de 14h à 18h30.

Et les gagnants des récompenses de MM localement attribuées sont:

• Trophée au quartier le plus embelli : aux jeunes du quartier de Hann Magasin

• Trophée au vainqueur du tournoi de beach soccer : aux juniors de l'Ecole foot

• Enveloppe en cash de 25.000 FCFA ; au meilleur buteur du Beach Soccer

• Enveloppe de 15.000 FCFA : au deuxième meilleur butteur du Beach Soccer

• Lot de paquets de sucre et de lait aux différents représentants des 8 participants au Beach Soccer (quatre écoles de foot et quatre associations de quartiers au total ayant participé à la manifestation du 8 juin).

Tenons maintenant la plage propre toute l'année et continuons les efforts à rehabiliter la Baie de Hann à sa beauté proverbiale.

Photos de Aliou Sall et équipe.

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. Benards Okeyo, 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.

Click here to enjoy the video.