Kumi Naidoo

Kumi Naidoo headshot

Kumi Naidoo is a prominent South African human rights and environmental justice activist. At the age of fifteen, he organized school boycotts against the apartheid educational system in South Africa. His courageous actions made him a target for the Security Police, leading to his exile in the United Kingdom, where he remained until 1990. Upon his return to South Africa, Kumi played a pivotal role in the legalization of the African National Congress in his home province of KwaZulu Natal.

Kumi also served as the official spokesperson for the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), responsible for overseeing the country’s first democratic elections in April 1994. His dedication to democracy and justice led to notable international roles, including being the first person from the global South to lead Greenpeace International as Executive Director from 2009 to 2016. He later served as the Secretary General of Amnesty International from 2018 to 2020.

In the realm of education, Kumi has shared his expertise, lecturing at Fossil Free University and holding a Richard von Weizsäcker Fellowship at the Robert Bosch Academy until early 2022.

Currently, Kumi serves as a Senior Advisor for the Community Arts Network (CAN). He holds the position of distinguished visiting lecturer at Stanford University’s Center for Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law and is a Professor of Practice at the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University. Additionally, he continues to represent global interests as a Global Ambassador for Africans Rising for Justice, Peace, and Dignity. He also holds positions as a Visiting Fellow at Oxford University and an Honorary Fellow at Magdalen College.

In a testament to his family’s commitment to positive change, they have established the Riky Rick Foundation for the Promotion of Artivism, honoring the legacy of their son and brother, the now late South African rapper Rikhado “Riky Rick” Makhado, through a commitment to supporting artivism and mental health in South Africa.

Kumi has authored and co-authored numerous books, the most recent being Letters To My Mother (2022), a personal and professional memoir that won the HSS 2023 non-fiction award by the National Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Excerpt from “Confronting the Climate Crisis: Kumi Naidoo’s Call to Action”

by Clifton B. Parker

Kumi Naidoo, a prominent South African human rights and environmental justice activist, spoke about transformative change, the climate crisis, and how to move human hearts and minds during a presentation hosted by the Center on Development, Democracy, and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) on January 31.

His talk, “Creative Maladjustment and the Climate Crisis,” was the 2024 installment of the annual Payne Distinguished Lecturer Series at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI). Naidoo, who also served as the executive director of Greenpeace and secretary general of Amnesty International, is this year’s Payne Distinguished Lecturer at CDDRL.

“The moment of history that we find ourselves in is one in which pessimism is a luxury we simply cannot afford,” said Naidoo, who, at the age of 15, started campaigns to dismantle South Africa’s apartheid system. He added that tackling the environmental crisis is a big puzzle, and it seems as if humanity is still trying to figure out the right thought processes. Yet, to truly grasp how to co-exist with nature and start thinking long-term instead of just short-term, authentic change will require a fundamental shift in mindsets, one inspired by positivity and creativity.

“The pessimism that flows from our analysis, our observation, and our lived experiences can—must, and should be—be overcome by the optimism of our thought, our action, our creativity, and our courage,” Naidoo said. “This is a moment for brutal honesty.”

Continue reading “Confronting the Climate Crisis: Kumi Naidoo’s Call to Action” on Stanford University’s website.

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