Greenpeace Africa is the direct offshoot of a movement that began in 1971 with a group of people outraged by the US government’s intention to do nuclear testing at Amchitka, a tiny island off Alaska.

Today, that outrage is focussed on the cradle of humankind: Africa. We are actively working in South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Senegal; the countries with the most urgent environmental issues – climate change, over-fishing and the destruction of the all-important rainforests- issues that affect the entire continent.

We work with local organisations in the various countries, as their partners, to help them to let African voices be heard and African ideas understood. By finding and assisting African expertise and leadership, we hope that we can help find real, sustainable solutions for the entire planet and a greener future.

We don’t have permanent allies or enemies. What we want is open, informed debate about the environmental choices that we can all make. We achieve this through research, lobbying and quiet diplomacy. When that doesn’t work we use high profile, but non-violent direct action – that’s what we’re best known for. You’ve seen our protests on the high seas and on top of power plant cooling towers. It takes guts, but it’s what we believe in.