6 Leadership Lessons from the Wakashio Disaster

Co-authored by Barkha Mossae and Karuna Rana. Published on the One Young World Blog: https://www.oneyoungworld.com/blog/6-leadership-lessons-wakashio-disaster-mauritius

Our country, Mauritius, is normally associated with images of pristine lagoons in sparkling shades of blue. Indeed, our seas and beaches are so beautiful that Mauritius is regularly said to be "paradise on earth". Perhaps the most iconic beach is Blue Bay, where the waters are every bit as blue as you would think they are, and the 1000-year old corals are as beautiful as they get. Here is an unfiltered picture from a snorkeling session there - no gimmicks were needed to attract the fish, who photobombed us at will.

Last week, however, the images circulating all over the world were painted a different colour: ribbons of black and murky brown were oozing out of a wrecked vessel, the MV Wakashio, which ran aground on the coral reef on 25 July. The vessel started falling apart, leaking out the 4000 tonnes of low-sulphur, poisonous bunker fuel it was carrying. We watched with horror as the oil slick expanded, moving fast into our pristine lagoons. The contrast between the turquoise and the rapidly expanding black was chilling.

An oil spill of any scale, anywhere is bad news, but in this case, it is the location rather than the scale of the spill that is of greater concern. The oil spill location happened to be in one of Mauritius's most ecologically sensitive and beautiful area: next to the marine park which aimed to protect millennia-old coral; the Ile aux Aigrettes islet which houses and rehabilitates endemic and endangered plant, bird and reptile species; Ramsar biodiversity hotspots; turtle hatcheries; fishing grounds for the local fisherfolk; the site of some of Mauritius's most iconic pre-independence naval battles; and the historic villages of the South East coast of Mauritius.

Being away from our country at this very time did make us feel frustrated and helpless. But this distance also forced us to introspect, and reflect upon the several emotions and the several lessons which one can draw from this situation. Some of these lessons, especially on leadership, are highlighted:

1. IT'S OK TO BE A FOLLOWER

As Wakashio leaked its poison into the sea, something incredible happened. Mauritians from all quarters of the island and all walks of life mobilised to assemble makeshift booms, clean up the blackened beaches and mangrove sites, and share the calls for funds from the Eco-Sud NGO and the Mauritius Wildlife Foundation, organisations which had (rubber) boots on the ground from the get-go.

Why is this significant?

The youth leadership space is rife with people who are competing with each other for what WE call "leadership credentials". In the last decade, we have seen many initiatives and self-styled leaders and “gurus” mushroom all over the place. Sadly, the environmental movement is full of this: multiple initiatives for the same cause. While it is great that people wish to take action on environmental issues, the high level of fragmentation can be dangerous as it creates unnecessary competition for political space, funds and public attention, while eroding youth's capacity to collectively mobilise around certain issues. It dilutes resources as funders are no longer able to channel funds constructively or verify the credibility of each initiative. The elephant in the room is that many of these initiatives are ego-driven, seeking to "center" someone rather than a cause at its centre because let's face it: it's more humbling to join someone else's initiative (and possibly be in the shadows doing the background work) that to set your own up. As a generation, we need to learn that visibility does not always equate to impact.

The mobilisation of the Mauritian people showed that simply following can yield incredible results. Mauritians put ego aside and became part of a great machinery: a hive that worked 24/7 to tackle an emergency. Fundraising efforts which were set up channelled money to the above NGOs. What it means is that we let the "experts"/NGOs leading on this do what they do best and gave our full support. Nobody was looking for a slice of the cake or the spotlight, but as a collective, Mauritians managed to achieve the impossible: stemming the tide of the oil spill.

(photo credit: Joe Lodge)

2. PEOPLE POWER IS REAL

We believe it is highly symbolical that the booms which stopped the flow of petrol into the lagoon, while awaiting foreign aid, comprised human hair. Someone had the brilliant idea of using human hair to absorb the oil, and within hours, Mauritians were down by the hundreds to build kilometre-long booms made of hair and straw to contain the spread of the spill.

Old people, young people, people of every colour, creed and class rushed to cut their hair to donate to the cause. The mingling of human hair from all walks of life is a powerful reminder of the unity of the Mauritian people: the basis of our strength and resilience as a nation.

As a nation that has never really had to contend with a calamity in recent years, we tend to be complacent and peace loving. However, it was incredible that Mauritians poured out of their homes, banded together and rushed to protect the island, Avengers-style. Working through the night, without any form of guidance, they zeroed in with laser focus on the matter at hand: containing the spill.

You would think, from the various oil spills that we have seen in the media in the past (the Deepwater Horizon disaster pops up immediately), that there was nothing we could do except pray in this situation, until heavy equipment and expertise arrived. But not Mauritians! Against all odds, they set up the handmade booms across the lagoon, and against all odds, the booms WORKED.

All this goes to show that, when people rally behind a cause, you can make miracles happen.

(photo credits: CIEL group)

3. COLLABORATION IS KEY

In the same vein as above, the disaster shows that nothing can be achieved without collaboration. While the hand-made booms held, the authorities reached out to our international partners and France and Japan responded promptly, followed by India and the UN. Within hours, France had despatched equipment and manpower to set up more booms and pump out the fuel remaining on the vessel.

At the same time, collaborations were also rapidly being created between and within the public and private sectors. Using social media and word-of-mouth connections, needs (for volunteers, for example), were being matched with resources. The environmental activism area has often operated in a silo. But here, collaborations were emerging between hairdressers, fishermen communities and NGOs.

Not only that, but this was perhaps the first time that we saw the Mauritian diaspora come together as quickly and in such large numbers. The oil spill triggered a fierce protectiveness from the diaspora, bringing them emotionally close to their island. As we write this, hundreds of Mauritians living abroad are self-organizing themselves in various country groups to initiate rapid action in the form of fundraising and collecting protective gears and hair donations to be sent to Mauritius, while working on medium and long-term action plans for the oil spill. The Mauritian diaspora in France, for example, was able to get the French NGO, Coiffeurs Justes, to donate 20 tonnes of hair for the cause.

The spill showed that, no matter how self-sufficient you think you are, we live in a world where we need each other, and we therefore must invest in creating those collaborative partnerships, from individual and grassroots level, all the way up to international level.

(photo credits: Dimitri Rault)

4. EMOTIONS ARE OUR SUPERPOWER

Being far from Mauritius, it was frustrating to not be one of those volunteers on the ground. It is, overall, a charged emotional situation for nearly every Mauritian. But it has also shown that it’s possible to channel these emotions into constructive action.

Advocating for the environment can be abstract, sometimes; the effects of climate change are sometimes not as immediately visible and sometimes it’s simply too much, too heavy to care, to change habits, to adjust our lifestyle at every step. But this situation has revealed that at our care, we care deeply about nature and our environment, and it’s this love for our oceans, as Mauritians, that brought us out in the hundreds on the South East coast to volunteer.

Even as we waited for experts to arrive, simple citizens, from the humble fisherfolk and hairdressers to students were on the ground taking action. We rarely acknowledge that local stakeholders have the greatest emotional attachment to their environment, and as such are the most important actors.

Action driven by love is meaningful action.

(photo credits: Beata Albert)

5. WE SHOULDN'T WAIT FOR OTHERS TO GET STARTED

What is holding back large-scale environmental activism is the psychology of “someone else will do it”.

Even before the Prime Minister of Mauritius declared a “state of environmental emergency” over the oil spill, thousands of Mauritians joined the immediate call for volunteers. The production of makeshift booms, fundraising, and resource mobilisation of hair, nylon stockings and marine ropes were initiated right away and around the clock. Nobody waited for “someone else” to do the work or for bureaucratic protocol. And, as satellite images show, these makeshift booms did work to contain the oil spill until international help and experts arrived, thereby preventing further damage to the coast.

This goes to show that true environmental action is disruptive, and should not wait for approval. We are the critical mass that must trigger environmental action.

6. SELF CARE IS IMPORTANT

Finally, it's important to know when to slow down and step back. Exposure to the oil spill and its toxic fumes is harmful. Several volunteers reported experiencing headaches, nausea, dizziness, and at least two of them have been admitted to hospital. As the immediate shock of the oil spill wanes, the psychological impact of seeing paradise lost is likely to manifest itself - particularly against the backdrop of the horror movie that 2020 has been. Millennials have been accustomed to equate "work till you wreck yourself" with success and leadership – and it’s wrong. Ultimately, the success of any movement, job or initiative can be linked with how healthy it is, and if its people aren’t themselves healthy and thriving, this will reflect in the quality of the output.

The Wakashio is going to be the darkest chapter in modern Mauritian history, and will be a turning point. The impact of the oil spill will remain with us for years to come. These are the lessons which struck me as we watched the leak and the immediate response. As the situation unfolds, we will learn more about ourselves, as Mauritians and islanders, about resilience, and about our relationship with nature.