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A punchy parody video featuring celebrity comedians was released today by Greenpeace Africa and its partner Kick Polluters Out, a movement of African creatives and activists fighting against sportswashing by Big Polluters.[1]
The video criticises fossil fuel giant TotalEnergies’ sponsorship of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the main international men’s football competition in Africa, which kicks off on Saturday 13 January in the Olympic Stadium of Ebimpé in Côte d’Ivoire.
Greenpeace Africa is calling on the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to kick TotalEnergies out of this tournament, and is encouraging football fans across the globe to share the video and chant not just for their teams, but for a future with clean air that is free from fossil fuel tyranny.
Thandile Chinyavanhu, Greenpeace Africa Oil and Gas Campaigner, said: “Fossil fuels – the lifeblood of climate-wrecking companies like TotalEnergies – are poisoning the lungs of African athletes and soccer fans. Science says we must transition away from fossil fuels to clean energy. But Total continues to displace communities for new oil drilling, and spew toxins before shipping massive profits back to Europe. Total is turning AFCON from a celebration of African unity into a grotesque greenwashing stunt.
“It’s time to kick TotalEnergies out of our stadiums. Our passion for football runs deep, but so does our love for a clean, healthy Africa.”
In the video, Zimbabwean comedian Munashe Chirisa and British Bafta Award winning writer and performer Jolyon Rubinstein portray TotalEnergies as an organisation wilfully exploiting AFCON’s millions of global viewers to boost its image, while continuing to profit from climate-wrecking fossil fuel extraction across the continent. According to the United Nations, Africa stands out as the most vulnerable region in the world to the breakdown of climate and nature.[2]
The satirical video portrays TotalEnergies as hypocritical, calling out their new fossil fuel exploration plans across Africa as blatantly disregarding the climate crisis. It uses humour to paint Total as a predator preying on an entire continent’s vulnerability. Their sponsorship of AFCON is portrayed as deliberate greenwashing to mask the death and destruction they are profiting from.
Samm Farai Monro, Kick Polluters Out Co-Founder & Magamba Network Creative Director, said: “TotalEnergies is guilty of foul play. They like to portray a clean, green image of themselves with their sponsorship of AFCON. But the reality is very different. At a time when scientists are telling us to stop any new fossil fuels projects, Total is developing more oil and gas resources in Africa than any other company.[3] As Africans, we need to show TotalEnergies
the red card. We love football. We hate pollution!”
Currently, TotalEnergies is causing a wave of destruction across the African continent. It is constructing the East African Oil Pipeline (EACOP) to transport oil from Uganda’s Lake Albert to the Port of Tanga in Tanzania. This destructive project is expected to displace more than 100,000 people, according to the Stop EACOP Campaign.[4]
In Mozambique, TotalEnergies is accused of stirring up conflict in the already volatile region of Cabo Delgado with its $20 billion USD gas development project. In South Africa, Total has received the greenlight from the government for offshore drilling for oil and gas, despite valid concerns about the impact to marine life and the environment. To add context, Total made a staggering net profit of over $6.7 billion dollars in the third quarter of 2023.
