Mombasa Ocean Festival

Year 7, 8 and 9 students had the privilege of attending the Mombasa Ocean Festival Opening Ceremony organised by Alliance Francaise de Mombasa, the French Embassy and their partners on Thursday 18th June 2026.

The event was designed to raise awareness about environmental issues and educate students about conservation through talks with Ocean experts from KMFRI. Alliance Francaise had also planned an interactive Ocean quiz led by French students working in Kenya under the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement. The short films that were screened are: Custodians of the Sea (Mouna Chambon), a film about sustainability in Kenya and Our ocean with David Attenborough.

Beneath the Blue: Bulldozing

Watching Ocean with David Attenborough with our KS3 students challenged a view I had carried quietly for years. I had often thought of fishing mainly as a livelihood and a source of food, but the film revealed another, more unsettling layer: bottom trawling, a form of underwater bulldozing where heavy nets scrape across the seabed, dismantling the fragile communities that live there. As a Biology and Geography teacher, I found the image hard to forget. It connected ecosystems, food chains, carbon stores and climate change in one powerful moment.

The film also showed how large commercial vessels now position themselves over rich fishing grounds, placing pressure on habitats that are already warming as rising carbon levels trap more heat and intensify global climate change. David Attenborough’s reminder that less than 3% of the ocean is effectively protected was sobering; however, the message was not one of despair. It was a reminder that protection works when it is deliberate, informed and shared.

What encouraged me most was listening to our students respond. They noticed the same urgency but also the hope. With new knowledge about mangroves, marine life, fishing, science and conservation, they began to see themselves as part of the solution. One speaker reminded them that young people are the majority and that their choices, voices and actions matter.

In our follow-up Year 8 lesson, we used the festival theme to ask: What can we do as individuals? Their answers moved from awareness to responsibility - reducing waste, learning more, protecting habitats, sharing the message and respecting local knowledge. We are grateful to the Mombasa Ocean Festival organisers, scientists, speakers, partners and conservation stakeholders for giving our learners an exciting experience.

Mr A Morang’a