Defenders and Toolkits: Inside Climate Litigation Lab 2.0
On the lush lawns of the Valley Lodge in Magaliesburg, South Africa, a circle of activists, lawyers, and campaigners gathered. They had come from seven African countries, drawn together by a single, urgent mission: to defend the defenders of our planet from a new breed of legal attack, the notorious SLAPP suit.
What’s a SLAPP, and Why Should You Care?
SLAPP stands for Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation. In this chillingly simple concept, powerful corporations or complicit governments file lawsuits not to win on the merits, but to intimidate, silence, or exhaust those who dare to challenge them. In Africa, where the stakes of environmental defence are sky-high—think oil pipelines, land grabs, and vanishing forests—SLAPPs have become the favoured weapon of those who profit from destruction.
The Lab wasn’t your typical conference; the message was clear: defending the environment is gruelling, often traumatic work. To outlast the opposition, defenders need not just sharp legal minds, but resilient bodies and spirits..
Thirty participants journeyed from Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Madagascar, Tanzania, Egypt, and across South Africa. They brought with them stories of repression and resistance: Ugandan activists jailed for protesting oil pipelines, Kenyan communities losing ancestral lands to carbon offset projects, South African lawyers harassed for standing up to mining giants. Their experiences were as diverse as the ecosystems they protect, but the patterns of intimidation, judicial weaponisation, and land exploitation were hauntingly familiar.
The Launch of the SLAPP Toolkit: A Game-Changer
One of the Lab’s proudest achievements was the launch of the SLAPP Toolkit—a comprehensive, Africa-specific resource designed to help defenders, lawyers, and grassroots campaigners identify, resist, and recover from SLAPPs. The Toolkit is packed with practical guidance, legal templates, and case studies, all tailored to the unique legal landscapes of African countries. It’s a lifeline for those who find themselves facing down a hostile courtroom, often with little support and even less funding.
The rationale behind the Toolkit is as urgent as it is obvious: activists and communities are being targeted by state and corporate actors who use the law as a cudgel. The Toolkit gives them the tools to fight back, adapt strategies across jurisdictions, and build collective resilience.
Why This Matters: Beyond the Courtroom
Perhaps the most powerful moments of the Lab came when frontline defenders took the floor. They spoke of arrests, intimidation, and the slow grind of litigation designed to sap their will. But they also shared stories of resistance: communities mobilising, alliances forming across borders, and small legal victories that ripple outwards, inspiring others to stand firm.
The Lab’s message was clear: the fight against SLAPPs isn’t just legal—it’s political, cultural, and deeply human. Laws can be changed, but only if there’s public pressure, media attention, and a movement that refuses to be silenced. Coalition-building, strategic communication, and relentless advocacy are as vital as any legal brief.
The partnership between Surge Africa and Natural Justice ensured that the Lab was more than a talk shop. It was a launchpad for coordinated action, a safe space for honest dialogue, and a testament to the power of solidarity. The Climate Litigation Lab 2.0’s sessions were not just about legal theory—they were about equipping defenders with practical tools, building resilient networks, and nurturing the spirit required to withstand the mounting pressures of climate advocacy in Africa.
Participants of the Climate Litigation Lab in Magaliesburg, Johannesburg