The Adaptation Network Colloquium 2024: The Art of Storytelling in Adaptation

By Penny Price

A Hub of Learning and Exchange

From 14 to 16 July 2024, the Protea Fire and Ice Hotel in Cape Town became a vibrant hub of activity. Researchers, policymakers, community-based organisations, and the private sector gathered to exchange ideas, showcase their work, and engage in meaningful discussions about climate adaptation. The Colloquium provided a platform for sharing knowledge, exploring new solutions, and building collaborations to advance the adaptation agenda across southern Africa.

The event featured a rich programme of presentations, workshops, and interactive sessions, all designed to enhance participants’ understanding and capabilities in climate adaptation. This year’s Colloquium strongly emphasised creative communication, recognising the crucial role that storytelling and visual arts play in making complex adaptation issues accessible and engaging.

Engaging Presentations and Discussions

The Colloquium featured a diverse array of presentations and discussions, each highlighting innovative solutions and collaborative efforts in climate adaptation. Keynote speakers and panellists shared insights on various topics, some notable sessions included:

  • Community-Based Adaptation Approaches: A rich session showcasing a range of community-based climate vulnerability assessments.  These methodologies largely included capacity-building elements relating to local climate change projections, prioritisation and decision-making support, as well as the development of locally-led adaptation plans.                                                
  • Decision-Making Approaches for Adaptation and Resilience: This session explored climate-resilient development pathways, from a conceptual and strategic national level to methodologies for application in different contexts, including district-level planning and municipal case studies. Click here to read more.
  • MEL for Adaptation and Just Transition: The session sought to showcase some of the national climate-related monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) frameworks for ensuring effective and equitable climate adaptation and transition strategies. It also included work on applying MEL to drive transformative equity and resilience.

These sessions, along with the many other presentations, not only showcased the breadth of ongoing adaptation work but also provided a platform for participants to engage in critical discussions about the future direction of climate adaptation efforts. For a full list of sessions, please view the programme here. The resources and presentations can be accessed here.

The essence of the presentations and sessions was captured through beautiful graphic harvesting. This visual summary technique allowed key messages and ideas to be communicated in a clear and engaging way, offering a unique perspective on the discussions.

Creative Workshops

One of the standout features of this year’s Colloquium was the creative workshops hosted by Mycelium Media Colab. These workshops aimed to equip participants with innovative tools and techniques for communicating their adaptation efforts in compelling and accessible ways.

  • Mobile Video Content Creation: This session taught participants how to create engaging video content using mobile phones, perfect for reaching wider audiences on social media.
  • Exploring Visual Art in Climate Communication: This workshop pushed creative boundaries, using collaborative visual arts processes to inspire out-of-the-box thinking. It explored how visual mediums can make research more impactful and enhance the communication of complex topics like climate adaptation.
  • Performance as a Research Method: Empatheatre conducted a transformative workshop exploring their unique theatre-making methodology, which blends African storytelling with research to democratise knowledge creation and community engagement.
  • Exploring Words: Poetry and Spoken Word Play: Participants engaged in wordplay through short, structured exercises to unlock unique perspectives and voices. The workshop encouraged using ‘first thoughts’ as the basis for drafting poems while exploring the paradox of creativity as both a substantive and expansive pursuit.
  • Crafting Digital Presentations: Attendees learned how to design interactive and captivating presentations using Canva.

These masterclasses were well-received, with participants appreciating the opportunity to learn new skills and collaboratively explore their creative talents. The workshops highlighted the importance of creative approaches in making climate adaptation efforts more impactful and widely understood.  An additional masterclass was offered independently of Mycelium on website creation.

Networking and Art Exhibition: Celebrating Creativity and Collaboration

The Colloquium concluded with an evening exhibition of adaptation-related ‘communication art,’ showcasing the creative work produced during the event. The exhibition featured works created in the masterclasses, as well as the graphic harvests from the presentations. This exhibition provided a space for reflection and networking, allowing attendees to engage with the creative outputs of their peers and discuss their implications for climate adaptation.

Gratitude to Our Partners

The success of the 2024 Colloquium would not have been possible without the generous support of our partners. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Government of Flanders for their sustained and generous support of the Adaptation Network and our climate adaptation initiatives. Their funding has been instrumental in making the event accessible and inclusive, with bursaries available to support diverse participation.

We also acknowledge the invaluable contributions of the African Climate & Development Initiative (ACDI), the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), and Mycelium Media Colab.

Building on Our Momentum

We look forward to building on the momentum generated by this year’s event and continuing our efforts to address the pressing challenges of climate change. Thank you to all who participated and contributed to making the 2024 Colloquium a memorable and impactful experience.

The Adaptation Network’s diverse membership spans civil society, academia, and the public, and private sectors. By bringing together such a varied group, the Colloquium demonstrated how collaboration across different contexts can enhance informed adaptation, build resilience, and address vulnerability comprehensively.

Watch our highlights video, which captures the essence of the Colloquium and the inspiring work of our participants.

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