Saving Eloubalire: An Educational Journey of Environmental Learning and Knowing Otherwise
摘要
This chapter tackles the educational journey undertaken by a diverse team of researchers originating from Senegal, Armenia, Colombia and Germany. We came together at the University of Luxembourg and learnt through Landing—our team member from Senegal—about the ecological crisis in Eloubalire, his home village. Situated on an island, it is touched by rising sea levels that have devastated most of the arable land. As a team, we collaboratively created a stop motion animation film to both explore and understand this environmental issue. In team meetings that we recorded and analysed, we connected our experiences with decolonial and eco-arts concepts, emphasising how arts-based methods can foster embodied, empathetic learning. This approach allowed us to build understanding and connections to Eloubalire’s community and its environmental struggles. The chapter contextualises our experience within ethical and political frameworks, and it illustrates how arts-based environmental learning can address the impacts of colonialism and economic exploitation of people and territories, by promoting awareness and capacity for action.