Nichodimas Cooper

I am an Indigenous heritage and climate justice activist based in the Kgalagadi district, Botswana, dedicated to advocating for the rights and empowerment of marginalized communities, particularly the Nama people. My work spans cultural preservation, human rights advocacy, and sustainable development, strongly emphasizing the interconnected challenges of climate change, heritage loss, and social inequality.

As the founder and incumbent Executive Director at Namakhoen Network of Heritage Advocacy and one of the co-founding members of the BW Nama Development Trust, I continue to play a key role in fostering cultural pride and community resilience through initiatives such as the Annual Nama Cultural Festival and the Nama Heritage Community Museum as volunteer museum manager and a board member of the Commonwealth Association of Museums, where I work to promote heritage preservation and decolonization in museum spaces. I also currently serve, remotely, as the General Publicist under the Indigenous Peoples Network of Southern Africa, a regional body based in Cape Town.

In my capacity as a climate justice activist, I have actively participated in global platforms, including Commonwealth Association of Museums Triennial Conferences 2019, 2020, 2024, COP26/28, and the 23rd & 24th Sessions of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, to highlight the disproportionate impacts of climate change on Indigenous communities, to advocate for inclusive adaptation strategies rooted in traditional ecological knowledge and human rights.

Through workshops, public campaigns, and collaborative projects, I focus on empowering communities with sustainable livelihoods, preserving Indigenous languages, and amplifying voices for policy change. My vision is to create a future where Indigenous heritage and knowledge are recognized as vital components of global sustainability and justice.