International Peace Youth Group (IPYG) and the Namibia Youth Development Organisation joined forces on Saturday 27 June 2020 for a webinar on how Africa’s youth can use social media to spread a culture of peace during the covid-19 pandemic.
The two youth groups have held a series of webinars, the Youth Peace Classroom, during Youth Month with renowned activists for change and participants from across the African continent.
Saturday’s panel of speakers included Kudakwashe Mushonga, a Zimbabwean UN Association Program Manager and peace and conflict resolution graduate, Naftalie D-Naff Amukwelele, a Namibian multiple award-winning rapper, Ruvimbo Nyikadzino, a Zimbabwean TV presenter and motivational speaker and South Africa’s Masego ‘Maps’ Maponyane, TV presenter, actor and entrepreneur. The event was held on Zoom and streamed live on Facebook to over 90 participants.
The first speaker, Kudakwashe Mushonga, urged all young people to consider personal opinion versus informed opinion, thinking carefully and seeking our fact before posting, commenting or reacting to anything online.
“Are you following the crowd or are you making a stand for what’s right?” said Mushonga. In reference to the leaders and influential figures we follow online, “we shouldn’t deify or demonise them,” he said, adding that they are people and will make mistakes.
Mushonga urged the youth to remember that their comments and opinions matter but it does not mean that these opinions are fact.
“There’s still a certain amount of bias involved in your opinion. Give room for someone to come in with a different perspective… Be open minded. You’re allowed to defend your opinion but allow that others will have different opinions to you.”
Mushonga also urged youth to have a life outside of social media, noting that mental health and face to face interaction with people is important.
“Look around and see what you can do to improve your surroundings… and read a book!”
Naftalie D-Naff Amukwelele, a respected influencer in the music industry, urged musicians and celebrities to be conscious of the fact that to fans, anything they say will be perceived as truth.
“We need to distance ourselves from negativity…we should not be speaking unless we are bringing in peace,” he said.
“For us in the spotlight, we have the power to influence. If we do not use this platform to speak into the communities, there will be a void in history,” he said, adding that all must think of future generations. “History will not remember you if you were silent when history gave you a moment to act.”
“These platforms are not just for us to enjoy, but for us to make a mark in our communities.”
Ruvimbo Nyikadzino went on to motivate with her talk on “social media: a tool or a weapon?”
Highlighting the fact that social media can be used as a weapon and do harm, making reference to the people who have committed suicide because of social media, she encouraged all to use social media rather as a tool to aid one in accomplishing a task.
“What message are you communicating to people? Are you going to build someone or destroy someone?” said Nyikadzino.
“Political leaders can use social media as a weapon but we are not for that,” she stressed. “Use it as a tool and be known for the right things. When you use it as a weapon, it’s not going to take you anywhere. Let us use social media positively and let’s strive every day to be as peaceful as we can.”
The final speaker, South African ‘Maps Maponyane as he is known to fans, philanthropist and UNICEF advocate amongst his many other projects, spoke about the power of social media for achieving sustainable peace.
“Believe it or not if you are on social media right now, each and every one of you is in this modern age, a celebrity. You have the power to start a conversation.
“Youth really need to consider what messages they are putting out. You need to perceive your social media as being a billboard on a busy highway that everyone sees.”
“Often the things we say are driven by what will give us the most likes and support and often are not driven by what we know to be morally right. This is a great time for us now to consider. How can we possibly use these mediums to make it cool to care? How can we make this cool, spreading this empathy for each and every person?”
Maponyane also stressed, as Mushonga did, to use social media positively for one’s own sense of peace and mental health.
“This used to happen to me so much. You’ll post something you truly believe in, it will get many positive comments but then one or two negative ones. But we ignore all the positives but take the negativity to heart.”
Maponyane urged all to consider that in previous generations they couldn’t spread a message as quickly or as far-reaching as the youth can using social media today.
“We have so much power but we are lacking the discernment to use it properly to leave a positive mark.
“In Africa sadly we’re in a situation where our leaders are on average 72 years old. Africa is so young so why are our leaders so old? We have the power to spread whatever it is we want to spread. We had the power they never had. This is the best way for the youth to have a voice, to have a positive message and spread it in a cohesive way.”
“Let’s start with ourselves and how we engage. That’s how we can build positive and sustainable peace and make this a continent where everyone can have success and thrive.”
From the very active webinar chat to the speakers’ presentations, what really stood out was the same, cohesive message. Let’s drive peace forward as our main message using social media as our tool, not a weapon.
As Maponyane put it, let’s make it #cooltocare.
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