06/05/2026
Growing up in Nairobi, Kenya, Lita Wanjiru Ngure learned early on how music could reflect social and environmental realities.
A violinist since the age of five, and a member of the Youth Theatre of Kenya, she performed in musicals across the country focused on themes of climate, community and social change.
“I learned so much about the environment and community through songs,” Ngure says. “Composing music around these themes, I realized how powerful music can be in making these histories stay with people.”
Those experiences led Ngure to pursue a double major in environmental studies and peace, conflict & justice, with a minor in environmental geography at the University of Toronto, where she will graduate this month. Her work now focuses on how extractive industries and politics reshape landscapes, communities and everyday life.
“I wanted to pursue a path that humanized environmental studies,” Ngure, a member of University College, says. “I became interested not only in how industries transform environments, but also how communities record and make sense of those changes through culture and memory.”
Growing up in Nairobi, Kenya, Lita Wanjiru Ngure learned early on how music could reflect social and environmental realities.
