International team of researchers took help of music, dance, art and storytelling to reveal more aspects of air pollution in Nairobi. Air pollution is a well-known human health issue. Though there are many air pollution reduction policies to improve human health, those are really ineffective.
These policies have failed to understand local knowledge and cultural practices of the intended recipients. Scientists have suggested that people should be put at the centre of developing solutions of any problem.
Researchers from University of Portsmouth gathered some residents of Mukuru in Nairobi to develop some methods including storytelling, music, art and theatre to better understand air pollution.
This research paper has been published in Nature Humanities and Social Sciences Communications.
Researchers said, their study have placed arts and humanities methods at the centre to explore air pollution. The local communities have helped the researchers to understand their perception of air pollution.
By this method the researchers explored ideas of air pollution with a wide range of communities. This method also helped local knowledge and ideas to be incorporated with the pollution issue. This has allowed those voices to be heard who are living in the problem.
Some local people of Mukuru took photographs around the place and made digital stories to make us understand their story of air pollution.
Some trained community researchers gave tasks to school children to make drawing and stories about their experiences of air pollution.
Theatre pieces were performed in community places such as market, community centre and football grounds about air pollution.
