Young Nigerians are coming together to showcase life-size wildlife puppets on the streets of Lagos from April 18th to 20th.
According to pulse.ng, for weeks, the brightly lit Yaba Art Museum had a new outlook. When you walked into it, the paintings on the walls were no longer the most intriguing attraction.
All over the main gallery, you found people huddled around tables, assembling curiously shaped wood and paper with the dexterity of skilled technicians and the verve of those on a mission.
For a casual onlooker, this scene could have passed for a craft class, but an inquisitive enquirer soon discovered that the young people at work—students of Yaba School of Technology—were building massive puppet animals set to parade the streets of Lagos from April 18 to 20, 2025. Their technical skills and creativity found expression in an unlikely context: climate activism through public art, specifically a global project tagged THE HERDS.
“Being part of the project made me feel like my creativity could actually make a difference. It wasn’t just about making something nice, but using art to spread awareness and start conversations, said Hassan Abdullateef, a Fine Art major at Yabatech.”
The journey that brought these students together for this cause began with the epiphany of Amir Nizar Zuabi. The renowned creative director conceived the idea for Little Amal, a gigantic puppet representing a little girl travelling the world. As Little Amal strolled through cities, people trooped out in droves to welcome her, connecting with the message of migration and the reality of refugees. Then it struck Zuabi: maybe a similar strategy could be useful in inspiring climate action; maybe life-size puppet animals stampeding through cities while supposedly fleeing the destruction of their ecosystem due to climate change could be a uniquely effective call to action for the world. And this, “THE HERDS,” was born.
From April to August 2025, a herd of magnificent animal puppets will journey from the Congo Basin to the Arctic Circle. The procession will make stops in major cities across 11 countries, including Lagos, Nigeria. This public art display will be accompanied by locally relevant cultural performances designed to pique the public’s interest and send a message that the world needs saving.
What makes THE HERDS particularly outstanding is its focus on local stakeholder partnerships in each country. The Nigerian production, led by A Whitespace Creative Arts Foundation, has so far gained the support of several partners, including government agencies, non-governmental organisations, educational institutions, and individuals. When it came to assembling the puppets, Yabatech students, supported by professionals, technicians and the school’s alumni, rose to the occasion.
The students’ reasons for joining THE HERDS project reflect both artistic curiosity and environmental concern. For some, like Adefila Toluwanimi Joshua, the initial attraction was purely visual before deeper engagement took hold, while others like Hassan Abdullateef saw it immediately as “a fun and meaningful way to use art to talk about climate change.” Oladunjoye Ifeanyi Moses was drawn to the project because, in his words, “it’s more than just an art project—it’s a statement.” Even engineering students found purpose in the creative approach, with Joseph Ifefimihan appreciating how THE HERDS “makes climate change easier to understand and connect with.”
Some of the established young professionals working with the students also highlighted the project’s significance and their interest in nature as reasons for choosing to contribute to it. “A project of this scale is needed to get the attention of the world and inspire action to reverse the damage of climate change and save our planet,” said Chuma Anagbado, artist and founder of Lizaad, the design studio that cut the materials used in making all the puppets and single-handedly assembled three of them—elephant, giraffe, and kudu.
I’ve been drawn to climate action issues and projects naturally because I happen to be a plant dad and very much interested in nurturing nature, Anagbado added.
For these young creators, climate activism isn’t an abstract concept or imported Western concern; it’s deeply rooted in their daily experiences. Nigeria’s environmental challenges provide a constant backdrop to their lives, influencing everything from daily comfort to economic stability. It makes sense that they are particularly passionate about the project.
The weather is no longer stable—sometimes it’s too hot, and sometimes there’s too much rain that causes flooding, Hassan recounts, describing personal experiences with floods that left streets impassable for days. People’s properties were floating in dirty water. It made me realise climate change is real, and we need to do something before it gets worse.
The project has transformed students’ understanding of art’s potential to drive social change. Hassan Abdullateef articulates this realisation: Art and creative projects like THE HERDS can really help people understand climate change better. Not everyone likes to read long articles or listen to news, but when they see art, it catches their attention. This sentiment is echoed by Dr. Odun Orimolade, Curatorial Director of the Yaba Art Museum. This approach is effective because it bypasses intellectual barriers, connecting directly to the heart of the audience, she says.
Oladunjoye Ifeanyi Moses, a General Art student with an entrepreneurial mindset, expands on this idea. “Art has always been a tool for advocacy, and I see it playing a huge role in Nigeria’s climate movement,” he explains. In a country where environmental issues often compete with immediate economic concerns for public attention, the visual impact of massive puppet animals moving through familiar spaces creates a startling spectacle that demands notice.
A common thread among the students’ reflections is the importance of youth involvement in climate solutions. “This will help build a knowledge box that moves faster than the internet as they are the next carriers of information to the coming generations,” argues Toluwanimi Joshua.
Joseph Ifefimihan frames youth involvement as a matter of self-preservation: “It’s important for young people to be involved in climate change conversations because we are the ones who will live with the long-term effects. The choices made today will shape our future, so we can’t afford to be silent.”
Ogbu Obinna Frednard puts it even more bluntly: “Older generations might have started this, but we’re the ones stuck figuring out how to survive it.” This generational perspective gives the project additional urgency and purpose. “We’ve got to be involved because it’s our lives, our communities, our wildlife on the line,” he adds.
As the puppet animals prepare for their Lagos debut, the students have clear visions for what they hope these creations will communicate. Toluwanimi Joshua hopes the takeaway will be a call for us to “come together and save each other,” as reflected by the collaborative nature of the process of assembling the puppets and displaying them publicly.
Oladunjoye Ifeanyi Moses also envisions a significant impact: “I hope these puppet animals send a clear message about the urgent need to protect our environment. As they march through Lagos, I want people to see them not just as art, but as symbols of the wildlife and nature that are at risk due to climate change.”
“We’re losing these creatures, and if we don’t act, they’ll be gone,” says Ogbu Obinna Frednard. The stark simplicity of this statement, coupled with the visual power of the puppets themselves, creates an unmistakable call to action.
While the students spent hours putting the puppets together, a significant contribution on its own, they aren’t ready to rest on their laurels. In fact, THE HERDS seems to have sparked a commitment to environmental action among participants. “Beyond this project, I see myself continuing to speak up and take action in my everyday life,” says Joseph Ifefimihan. “I want to keep learning about climate issues and sharing that knowledge with others, especially young people like me,” he adds.
In Oladunjoye Moses’ case, he has developed specific plans for his creative practice: “I want to create more awareness around eco-friendly practices, whether through sustainable art materials, promoting green businesses, or collaborating on projects that focus on conservation. As a creative entrepreneur, I also plan to incorporate sustainability into my business model.”
Ogbu Obinna Frednard also outlines several hands-on strategies, such as the initiatives he plans to join, including “the French Embassy’s Plastic Free Campus initiative” and working with “Junior Chamber International (JCI) and other organisations focused on environmental conservation and community development.” He also plans to leverage social media platforms to “raise awareness about pressing environmental issues” and “promote sustainable living practices and eco-friendly solutions.”
The students are set to see the results of their hard work this April as the animal puppets will invade the streets of Lagos, accompanied by performers, puppeteers—many of whom are also young people—and the public. This will happen across three days and three locations at 4 PM on each day. On April 18, the public procession titled “In the Footsteps of Leopards,” featuring Jelili Atiku, will happen in Ejigbo, beginning at the Town Hall on Lafenwa Street and ending at the Community Square on Moshalashi Street. April 19 will see the spectacle move to Yaba, where Mud Art Company, the puppets and the public will journey from Union Bank near Sabo Bus Stop to Queens College, Yaba.
On the 20th of April, Lagos Island will welcome the puppets for a procession tagged “Both in Flight.” From Macarthy Road to John Randle Centre, the procession will put up a rousing display featuring the puppets in motion and dazzling moves from QDance Centre. Prior to that, THE HERDS Dialogue, a pop-up event featuring conversations on climate change, sustainability and our responsibility to the environment, will take place at Lekki Conservation Centre at 11 AM. Key members of THE HERDS production team and NGOs like Nigerian Conservation Foundation and Lekki Urban Forest and Animal Sanctuary Initiative (LUFASI), will lead the discussions alongside representatives from government organisations such as Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) and Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA).
When the animal puppets journey through Lagos from April 18-20, they’ll carry not just a global message about climate change, but the transformed perspectives and newly awakened environmental consciousness of the young Nigerians who brought them to life. In a country facing multiple climate challenges, young people have found their voices through an unexpected medium, and they’re determined to make those voices heard.
