Unleashing Popular Culture to Drive Climate Action With Iminza Mbwaya
This episode features a conversation with Iminza Mbwaya, Programme Manager at Sounds Right, a platform for global music artists to help nature fund its own conservation. It was recorded in September, 2024.
Sounds Right is an initiative by the Museum for the United Nations - UN Live, an agile extension of the United Nations, exploring unconventional pathways to spark global empathy, action and change through the power of popular culture and dialogue.
At Sounds Right, Iminza brings strategic, creative, and legal skillsets to the table to support the program development, design, and implementation.
Before joining the UN Live team, Iminza worked with Dalberg Global Development Advisors and afrocentric impact firm, Axum, where, amongst other things, her work focused on designing and piloting novel concepts for outsized impact and sustainable returns.
Iminza is also a performing singer-songwriter and has a background in Intellectual Property Law, where she advised creatives and businesses on how to identify, protect, and monetize their intellectual property assets.
Amongst other things, Iminza and I discussed the real-world impacts of presenting nature as an independent music artist, what happens to the royalties generated through Sounds Right, and how reconceptualising nature in this way can shift how we think about and engage with it altogether.
Additional links:
Head to the Sounds Right website
Explore NATURE’s discography on Spotify
Discover a playlist of top NATURE collaborations on Spotify
Check out the Museum for the United Nations website
Visit the EarthPercent website
Dickon: Hi and welcome to Communicating Climate Change, a podcast dedicated to helping you do exactly that. I'm Dickon and I'll be your host as we dig deep into the best practises and the worst offences. Always looking for ways to help you and me improve our abilities to engage, empower, and ultimately activate audiences on climate-related issues.
This episode features a conversation with Iminza Mbwaya, Programme Manager at Sounds Right, a platform for global music artists to help nature fund its own conservation. It was recorded in September 2024.
Sounds Right is an initiative by the Museum for the United Nations, UN Live, an agile extension of the United Nations exploring unconventional pathways to sparking global empathy, action and change through the power of popular culture and dialogue.
At Sounds Right. Iminza brings strategic, creative and legal skill sets to the table to support the programme development, design and implementation. Before joining the UN Live team. Iminza worked with Dalberg Global Development Advisors and Afrocentric impact firm Axom where, amongst other things, her work focused on designing and piloting novel concepts for outsized impact and sustainable returns.
Iminza is also a performing singer-songwriter and as a background in intellectual property law where she advised creatives and businesses on how to identify, protect, and monetize their intellectual property assets. Amongst other things. Iminza and I discussed the real world impacts of presenting nature as an independent music artist.
A quick note that Iminza was near a primary school at the time of recording, and some sounds of children playing do creep in from time to time. But let's get on with it, This is Communicating Climate Change with Iminza Mbwaya.
The first question is one that I ask everybody and that's: From your perspective, how can communication best contribute in humanity's response to the climate crisis?
Iminza: I'm sure you hear this a lot. That's an excellent question and it's a good place to start reflecting. In my view, communication is what moves us from mystery into knowledge, and then nudges us forward from knowledge into action. And so, there's this element of demystifying things we don't understand about the climate crisis. This helps us get smarter on what we can do. At the same time, there's also the sense of building empathy with different audiences, moving you to the point that you feel called to take action. I don't think there's any guarantees of saying this or painting that will make people take action. And that's why I call it a nudge. But I do think it's essential for both steps.
Dickon: Can you please share the story behind Sounds Right? What inspired the idea of featuring nature as an official music artist?
Iminza: It's a story that spans a few years, but the seeds of Sounds Right were actually planted, so to speak, in Columbia. The Museum for the United Nations had brought together a diverse group of individuals, I think it was like more than 40 artists, musicians, environmentalists, activists, in Bogota, and they were exploring creative ways of engaging people in nature conservation.
Out of that workshop brainstorming session came this artist collective called VozTerra. They are a music collective that essentially recognises and wanted to merge two concepts: One, Columbia's deep connection to the Amazon. But then also this universal love for music and for rhythm. And so they embarked on this really beautiful project to work with local musicians from over 20 countries featuring sounds of nature and music, and using that as a way to share heritage but also build empathy.
This was right before Corona, so around 2019, and they had four albums that were released in pop, electronic music, rock, singer-songwriter, genres. It reached 1.6 million people overall, and they even went on to win a few awards for the work that they had done. Building on this success, the Museum for the United Nations now work with VozTerra to take it global.
So, we managed to bring in a very unlikely but powerful set of partners to turn this seed into a truly global initiative, just to mention a few: Spotify have provided marketing support, they have brought alive the concept of nature as an artist, you know officially being on platforms. We also have EarthPercent, a climate-focused charity for the music industry; AKQA on the campaign, the branding, the visuals, really making this abstract concept come to life: and about 20 more partners, I hope you'll forgive me if I don't get into each of them one by one.
Yeah, so now nature is an artist and in her own right with collaborations from world leading artists, you know the likes of Ellie Goulding, for example, in the first release, to upcoming artists as well. And all of these royalties go back to nature conservation.
I should also mention, of course, nature has her own music, the ecosystem tracks, which you can find on her Spotify profile or wherever you listen.
Dickon: How do you think conceptualising nature as an artist in its own right, or in her own right to use your parlance, can help change our relationship with it, with her, and the value we perceive nature as having more broadly?
Iminza: That is such a beautiful, like philosophical question in my perspective, I see two main ways that that happens. One is it makes us deeply aware of how connected we are to nature, whether your immediate surrounding as a forest or a cityscape, just being able to listen to the sounds of nature in your music creates a sense of proximity.
The concept of using nature sounds and music it's not new, it's not something we've invented in many ways. We always return to nature to feel grounded, to feel inspired. But we tend to think of that as occasional moments in our lives. And I think this concept of nature as an artist, experiencing her in a new way, reawakens that sense of awareness that I mentioned earlier.
The second way is, we associate artists with agency with expression, it's a very sort of active, a very captivating state of being. Yet when we typically think of nature. It's a passive element. You know, it's that serene backdrop to your life and so overtly or officially presenting nature as an artist shifts our mindsets. It makes us see her as active nature as having agency, nature as having expression, and on the back of that, it prompts questions like, what does it mean to listen to nature? What does it mean to protect nature's sense of agency? What does it even mean to see nature as an equal artist?
Dickon: The idea of nature then earning royalties as an artist is pretty groundbreaking stuff. How do you manage and distribute these funds to ensure that they have the maximum impact?
Iminza: Yeah, that's a complex question, but an important one. So I hope you have a bit of time to let me delve into each section. Sounds Right is a massive partnership and if you look on our website SoundsRight.Earth, you can get to see all of the partners who've been involved in making this a reality.
Achieving our ambitious impact goals requires humility, and that just means leaning on partner institutions who are set up to accelerate what we do.
One of our core partners, EarthPercent, houses the conservation fund. So a bit of context, EarthPercent was founded by Brian Eno. It's a climate focused charity for the music industry, registered in the US and the UK, and they set up the Sounds Right Conservation Fund in partnership with the Museum for the United Nations.
What happens is they receive all of the royalties from nature's tracks. So, that is from the featuring nature tracks that I mentioned, as well as the ecosystem tracks, these sounds of rain sounds of ocean waves and the like. They also receive donations that are made by individuals, we have a GoFundMe page, or any organisations as well.
Those funds, pulled together, are managed by an independent expert panel. They consist of conservation scientists, conservation practitioners, conservation leaders, and some representatives of indigenous people from around the world. They then nominate and select specific projects that the Conservation Fund will give grants to. Our understanding, being that they are really the ones who are on the ground, who intimately understand conservation challenges, who have the expertise in terms of ecological impact, in terms of what good community impact looks like, what good monitoring, evaluation, learning looks like. And we'd love to lean on that as much as possible.
Just to give a bit more context in terms of where the funds go, we prioritised landscapes from around the world, using a framework called the 36 biodiversity hotspots. There's many sort of cut this by, but we thought landscapes good because you could look at species or you could look at ecosystems at large.
36 biodiversity hotspots contain incredibly high levels of plant and animal species that are found nowhere in the world. At the same time, they've lost over 70% of the original vegetation. So, to qualify as a hotspot, this has to be pretty critical. And to give a sense of scale, they occupy about two and a half percent of the world's surface, yet they support over half of the world's plant and animal species.
So to start with, we prioritised six hotspots. These are: Madagascar and the Indian Ocean islands; Indo-Burma; India and Myanmar; The Philippines; the Tropical Andes; and the Atlantic Forest.
Later this year, late October or early November, the panel will be announcing the first set of grants, and it'll very much be paying homage to the fact that Sounds Right started in Columbia. And part of the tropical Andes is in Columbia, so there'll be a few conservation initiatives that nature will be spending, you know, some of its earnings on.
Dickon: So the project involves collaborations with many renowned artists. How do these collaborations come about? What has been the response from the artists involved and what does it mean for them in practical and financial terms?
Iminza: So once again, EarthPercent has been a key partner on this, being the climate charity for the music industry they have quite a few links to labels, and to artists. And we've been working with them pretty closely, at least for the first set of releases and even for the next few releases, to identify artists whose causes, whose music, would appeal strongly to the idea of nature as an artist and would naturally elevate that.
We've also been working with VozTerra, the artist collected from Columbia, to identify other global artists. For example, we work with Bomba Estereo through connections through them, and that's essentially been our inroad, navigating whatever doors we have in the music.
There's no one path, in terms of how these collaborations work, what it looks like. I think it's really important for us to honour the essence of creative expression and also to just leave it open to interpretation in terms of how artists see or work with the concept of nature as an artist.
We understand that it has to be authentic to the music they make authentic to whatever resonates with them. And that is really the power of the message.
So for some artists, as you see in the releases, what we did was remixes, so in the case of the Brian Eno and David Bowie track, for example, that was a remix. And then with other artists, there were some original tracks, for example, Cosmo Sheldrake did an original track around the concept of soil, and in the lyrics and the production it very much brings that alive.
The response from artists involved has been overwhelmingly positive. We find that talking about Sounds Right, phrasing it as protecting nature, it elicits a very open hearted response. We all have our own personal story about nature and about what is it that draws you to nature, your favourite place in nature. And I think that there's a nuance between that and how we speak about climate, for example. Given how charged of a conversation it can be, how political it can get. There's something very disarming and yet very impactful about connecting with nature specifically.
For some artists, there's also just the element of a creative challenge. What does it mean to think or to work with nature as an equal artist? Does that mean picking some samples and putting it in your work? Does that mean interpreting some of the sounds of nature a bit more deeply? Does that mean a deeper collaboration? So for example, Louis VI has a remix of his track, Orange Skies, with two other artists. And that was done in a really beautiful collaboration with The Listening Planet and Biofonica, where essentially they weaved all of these world class soundscapes into somewhat of a nature sound instrumental that's layered into the song. And so you start hearing this crackling sound of of wildfires, because that's what really Orange Skies is about, but as it's happening, you hear the sound of different species in the background. And as the song progresses, there's less and less of those animal sounds, almost alluding to the fact that there are fewer and fewer animals within that specific ecosystem that he's rapping about. So, there's a beautiful creative journey that different artists follow in in each of these tracks.
The core licencing terms of the Sounds Right track have been that we treat nature as an equal artist, but at the same time we respect the fact that artists face challenges of their own. And so in terms of royalty licensing, this covers recording royalties and primarily on streaming platforms, the agreement is a 50/50 split. So the artist will donate 50% of their royalties towards nature and then they will maintain another 50%.
The licencing terms have been for five years, so after that it reverts back to the artist. When it comes to involvement in the wider campaign, practically, artists are free to amplify or talk about the collaboration with nature in whatever way feels most authentic to them, and in whatever forums feel most authentic to them. Of course, we're quite delighted if they can share as much as possible, but we don't require it in any way.
Looking ahead, there are some artists for future releases who we are exploring creating filmed content on the behind the scenes parts, so where we get to learn in more detail about their own connection to nature, about what it means for them to collaborate with nature as an artist and in that sense, allowing them to model what it means to build that sense of empathy and inviting their friends to do the same.
Dickon: How do you perceive the role of music and the arts in the broader movement for climate action and environmental justice?
Iminza: I see it playing a role in two ways. One is building empathy, and we've discussed this before, so turning the content that we see or read in the scientific journals and the reports, into language that resonates at an emotional level that brings us back to feeling that nudges us to action.
And then the second is making discussions on climate action and environmental justice more inclusive. Bringing in the voices that you don't always hear, you know, in the conventions and the political events, there's also something to be said of the fact that the voices of artists, in some ways, elevate the voices of marginalised communities, especially indigenous artists who build their career on leveraging, of course, indigenous music and knowledge, but also advocating for the justice of indigenous groups.
This is such a powerful reminder of how music and arts bring us back to feeling, how it nudges us to action, and how it also helps to recalibate the scales.
Dickon: What unique attributes does music bring to the table when it comes to getting more people involved in climate action, and particularly those who would normally or otherwise be outside the movement?
Iminza: So, at a general level, music allows us to connect with people in a space where they might be more open-hearted and receptive to messaging.
But of course, there's a big caveat with that, which is that the message has to be authentic to the artist's voice, for it to resonate. And at Sounds Right, that's why we give artists the creative freedom on how they want to interpret what it means to see nature as an artist, to work with nature as an artist.
Specifically for Sounds Right and this is what really makes it groundbreaking, in my view, is the fact that simply listening to a Sound Right track already has impact. That’s because the streaming loyalties go back to nature conservation. That means by doing exactly what you do, you don't have to leave your house. You don't have to, you know, sign the petition that you might not quite understand yet, you are already having a positive impact on the planet.
Dickon: How has Sounds Right impacted public awareness and engagement with climate and conservation issues so far, and where do you see it going from here?
Iminza: That's a really good question. At launch, we had quite a bit of PR, which was fantastic. Not just around artist releases, but also around the wider concept of nature as an artist. The searches for nature on Wikipedia went up eight times on the day of launch and that just spoke to how powerful the concept of nature being an artist is in terms of inspiring curiosity and moving people to action.
There's an element of reflection that went, “Wait, what? Nature nature? The nature that I know? Is now officially an artist?”
Aside from that, we had quite a few press publications and and just online media that reached a potential audience about 3.6 billion people from around the world. That speaks quite strongly to public awareness.
While this was going on, there was of course millions of impressions in social media and the interesting thing is it sparked some pretty interesting debates. On the one hand, you have comments around how great of initiative this is, what a natural concept it is, and all of this excitement to see it through. On the other hand, you have expected criticism. What I value about this is that it wasn't personal attacks on artists, it was really criticism into, “Does this mean that you own nature? Do you think you will reach the impact goals that you aim for?” And the beautiful thing about this is that on both sides, it's a meaningful debate that comes from a genuine care, a genuine desire, to protect nature.
At the core, Sounds Right is about having this music movement that prompts people to reflect on the value of nature. And that's exactly what we were doing. Regardless of which side of the debate you were on.
In terms of where we see Sounds Right, evolving to you from here, I mean there's there's quite a few growth paths. One is of course building nature into becoming one of the most influential artists, so expanding the kinds of collaborations, the genres that we work in.
Another is also beginning to think about what might be other interesting genres in pop culture for nature to crossover to. Might that be gaming? Or might it be to explore some synchronisation rights in terms of using natures music or natures solar rights in videos and in films and having that work through the Conservation Fund mechanism so that it also has an impact?
Or perhaps even more excitingly for some, what would it mean to recognise the nature as an artist in the fashion industry? And what does it mean for nature's agency to be recognised beyond just the use of sustainable materials? What might it mean to design pieces of merchandise very much by nature and not by our interpretation of nature? There's quite a few ways it could go.
This summer we also tested the concept of nature taking the stage. So, at Roskilde Festival, nature performed a set, so to speak, and was on stage, of course with some of the Sounds Right artists. We might push that a bit more: What does it mean to live experience nature as an artist? There are many exciting ways that this grows. And of course if you have any exciting ideas or collaboration opportunities, we'd love to have a discussion.
Dickon: How can people get involved to support the project and the artists, including Nature, who are involved?
Iminza: Well, simply listening to the featured nature track actually already has impact. It raises royalties for conservation, whether you're the kind of person who works to the sound of rain, or you just really love David Bowie. So, please do stream the track. Listen to nature, have an impact on the environment, that would really support the cause.
For artists who are interested on the website, SoundsRight.Earth, we have an expression of interest form. So, in case you're thinking about what might collaborating with nature look like, we're building out a mechanism that would allow any artist to work with nature. Very much in the same spirit that nature is a public good, and so we need to honour that principle.
It's a complex design process, so I hope you'll be patient with us, but please do fill out the form. Leave us with your details and I'll be in touch.
For any partners who would like to work together on Sounds Right, our e-mail is contact@soundsright.earth, or you can also just get the contact details on the website, and we look forward to seeing the magic we might be able to make together.
Dickon: What's the single most important aspect of communication that we should be paying attention to in our communication endeavours?
Iminza: Translating communication into people's daily realities. So, to give an example, climate action isn't just about the climate crisis. There's like a massive intersectionality of everything, and that's something we tend to see in reports. But when we bring it down to daily communication, think about it this way, I come from Kenya, which has a staggeringly high amount of youth unemployment. If I can't take care of my present, that is, if I can't cover my living costs, if I can't put a proper meal on the table today, if I can't support my family today, then I will not be able to engage about the future. And often we talk about climate action in the context of the future.
So, engaging with people's realities means, “Yes, this is an issue about the future. But what about it affects my today? If you want me to actively engage. How can you meet me where I am?”
Dickon: What's the biggest mistake that you see communicators make when attempting to engage the public on climate change issues?
Iminza: I think it's doomsday framing. Because what it does is it sends us into a state of shock. So yes, you have my attention. But now I'm in this fight or flight mode, and once that dissipates, it dissolves into apathy.
That's not particularly effective if the aim of the message was to wake me up and have me take action. What happens is you wake up, and now I end up feeling like my actions might not matter, and so I step back even more.
Dickon: I had a wonderful time talking with Iminza, but what in particular stuck with you from our conversation? What will you take from it and apply to your own work?
For me, it was the power that considering nature as an equal partner can have. No longer merely recording, cutting, sampling, etcetera, which seem quite extractive after a conversation like this one, but instead collaborating in a more reciprocal relationship. That seems incredibly constructive. Where and how else could you imagine this kind of relationship with nature making an impact?
Then, there's the whole “meet the people where they are” thing that's going very right with this initiative. As a listener or a fan of nature, the artist, you don't have to change the way you do things. You don't have to give anything up. You can just listen, enjoy, be inspired, and be funding something great.
When much of the critique around climate campaigns is their focus on things we have to sacrifice, the compromises we need to make, the behaviours we need to change, and the many loosely defined or hard to do actions we need to take, here's an approach that instead rewired the system that many millions of people are already using. That is a powerful thing. What other systems can we rewire without the user noticing?
So, that's what I'll be taking with me. And those are the questions that I'll be considering. But how about you? What did you hear? What will you be incorporating into your communications endeavours?
Thanks to Iminza Mbwaya for sharing her time and insight with the show, it was great. You can find links to some relevant resources in the show notes. Thanks also to you for listening to Communicating Climate Change. If you enjoyed the episode, why not leave it a rating or review? Your feedback not only helps to shine a light on the guests and themes that resonate with you the most, but also boosts visibility, meaning the series reaches more people, expanding the community and driving the conversation forward.
You can find more episodes wherever you get your podcasts or by subscribing so you never miss out. You can find Communicating Climate Change on LinkedIn too, and if you think the series would be of interest to friends or colleagues, why not point them in the right direction?
Remember, each and every episode attempts to add to our toolkits to help us develop the ingenuity and the inspiration that we'll need for this expansive task. So, be sure to stay tuned for more, for anything else just head over to communicatingclimatechange.com. Until next time. Take care.
