A climate anthem that says our planet is on fire

Branko Brkić is a Serb who, even as a child, closely followed what was happening around him.

He liked to read Politikin zabavnik, like many parents, and also became a journalist because of this magazine.

He has been living in South Africa since 1991 and edits the Daily Maverick newspaper.

He publishes news every day and monitors how readers react to it.

He pays a lot of attention to climate change.

He thought about what to do.

Together with his colleagues he designed the journalism project, Our Burning Planet, and tried to use it to warn that climate change is humanity’s greatest challenge.

But that wasn’t enough – the project had to also appeal to emotions.

He turned to art – more specifically, to poetry.

An important part of the project thus became the adaptation of a protest song written in 1965 by the then nineteen-year-old PF Sloan and sung in the most famous version by Barry McGuire.

Eve of Destruction is now a climate anthem.

In the new version it is performed by the famous South African singer, Anneli Kamfer.

We only had to change 12 lines, and the song became relevant again.

Branko Brkić

They had some issues with the post.

“Due to being a journalistic video, it was initially marked on YouTube as suitable only for over the age 18.”

It was only after three weeks that they found a person that they could explain the background and meaning of the song. After that it became available to everyone.

Everyday citizens as well as those with influence – namely politicians and entrepreneurs – need to better understand the impact and urgency of responding to the climate crisis.

Branko Brkić

Words must become actions, he says.

Let’s make sure that people no longer doubt that we are in big trouble and that this moment demands our swift, committed, and comprehensive action.

Branko Brkić

Points to Consider

1. Can you name a few different emotions?
2. Which ones are strong, and which ones aren’t as strong?
3. How else can we influence our emotions?

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The original version of this article was published on April 21^st, last change April 23^rd.