Sound and the Soil

Available for over a year

With up to a third of young people in the United Kingdom reporting feelings of eco-anxiety amidst the ongoing climate emergency, producer Derick Armah gets his feet on the ground to witness an emerging collective response in London: artists and organisers are using alternative forms of ecological know-how to imagine positive futures. Hearing visceral accounts of eco-anxiety from scientist and writer David and poet Iyarhi, Derick asks: how can we move away from habitual ways of taking from the earth (which contribute to the climate emergency) and introduce more sustainable, imaginative modes of relating to our shared environment? How can we make a difference? And what might happen if we stopped to listen to the soil? Multi-disciplinary artist Seyi Adelekun and community gardener Edward Adonteng offer responses to these questions, inspired by ancestral ecological wisdom and committed to creative ways of bringing about collective change. Commissioned as part of the Multitrack Audio Producers Fellowship which supports new talent in radio feature-making. With thanks to Seyi, Edward, David and Iyarhi for their time and perspectives; and to Black Growth in Croydon, for the introduction to sustainable, community-based gardening. Written, presented and produced by Derick Armah Executive producer: Anishka Sharma A Reduced Listening production for BBC Radio 3