Political Open Mic
Climate change : Local yet Global -Stories of people, power and planet, because there's no climate justice without social justice.
On the 18th of July, 2026, CCAG along with other youth groups in Chennai, conducted a political open mic event at the Learning Community at Quest, Besant Nagar, Chennai. This was part of a line-up to the March for Marshlands, to protest the proposed Mamallan Reservoir and a preliminary event for Climate Week India 2026.
The overarching theme of the event was local environmental and socio-political issues, with a special focus on Chennai’s wetlands, commons and other critical issues faced by the city. It was a well-attended event with around 17 performers taking stage. There were monologues, poetry recitals, stand-up comedy sets, music performances and even a short skit. With the 8 minutes given to each performer, they passionately covered topics close to their heart, which ranged from the looming spectre of climate change and pollution, on-going student protests and loss of trust in democratic institutions, importance of poromboke lands, urban heat island effect, intersectionality and climate vulnerability, deep-rooted caste issues and, the social and environmental burden of geopolitical turmoil. The session wrapped up with a skit on the ecological and social importance of marshlands and the negative effects that will befall the city if the Nememeli marshlands continue to be destroyed in the name of development.
The audience members were enthusiastic and attentive and were key in making this open mic event a success. The exchange of ideas and perspectives in such events brought about a wonderful sense of camaraderie and a renewed sense that we all need to work together to fight against climate change and towards a more equitable future.
PARTNERS: Chennai Climate Action Group, Visai, CFA, AGAI, Palluyir, Thambaram makkal, Youth Climate Resilience Movement Vyasarpadi, Zenith, Art is war collective
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