Climate emergency: MSF and West African artists sound the alarm on the health impacts of the climate crisis
A powerful artistic initiative blending music and contemporary African dance urges climate action ahead of COP30.
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and artists unite to call for urgent action to protect at-risk communities with the release of the song “Oya,” ahead of the crucial COP30 climate talks in Brazil.
Oya is an artistic initiative blending music and contemporary African dance to draw attention to the health consequences of climate change people living in the world’s most at-risk environments.
The climate emergency is a major health threat to millions of people worldwide. Communities in vulnerable situations are hit the hardest. In 2024 alone, MSF teams responded to devastating floods in West Africa and South Sudan, repeated cyclones in Madagascar and severe heatwaves and drought in the Horn of Africa. Across the Sahel, the deadly combination of malaria and malnutrition overwhelmed pediatric services. In Chad, MSF is now providing year-round treatment and prevention for malnutrition.
“These problems will only intensify if nothing is done. Action is needed now to prevent the worst health and humanitarian consequences of the climate crisis. Through art, we want to remind people that hope exists – if we act now.”
Didier-Mukeba Tshialala, MSF medical coordinator for West and Central Africa
“The climate crisis is first and foremost a health crisis,” says Didier-Mukeba Tshialala, physician and MSF medical coordinator for West and Central Africa. “At-risk communities are paying with their health and their lives for a problem they did not create.”
Last year was the hottest ever recorded, the tenth consecutive year of record-breaking heat. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, nearly 70 per cent of global deaths are linked to climate-related diseases. Yet climate action remains far too limited.
Art as a voice for climate and health
In response, MSF is turning to art as a powerful medium to raise awareness and call for action. Oya (“Let’s Go” in several Nigerian languages) brings together West African musicians and dancers to deliver a clear message: action is needed now.
The initiative takes the form of a music video featuring an original composition by artist Mao Sidibé, paired with choreography from Senegal’s world-renowned École des Sables, founded by Germaine Acogny.
“The artistic approach brings together several emotions: sadness, urgency, defiance, but also hope,” says Mao Sidibé, composer of the song Oya. “Together, we are stronger,”
The lyrics of Oya are inspired by testimonies from MSF patients and staff in Niger, Cameroon and Madagascar – giving a voice to communities directly affected by the crisis.
The project underscores a vital message: climate change threatens health through the spread of infectious diseases, increasingly extreme weather events and rising heat.
“These problems will only intensify if nothing is done,” says Tshialala. “Action is needed now to prevent the worst health and humanitarian consequences of the climate crisis. Through art, we want to remind people that hope exists – if we act now.”
“Keeping global warming under 1.5 °C is absolutely critical to avoid the worst health and humanitarian effects of climate change,” says Stephen Cornish, MSF general director. “More must be done now to support the most affected countries to deal with the consequences and protect the health of their people.”
