Gen xYZ: Unsilenced Voices Propelling Change through Creative Power and Social Media #ENDSARS by The Africa Soft Power Project and The Africa Center was a deep dive into the gears driving the youth-led social movement against police brutality and bad governance in Nigeria with implications across the African continent.

The series featured two engaging sessions – “Digital Canvas: How Technology is Shaping Modern Activism #EndSARS” & “Creative Power and Conscious Awakening: Eyes on Nigeria #EndSARS” and featured tech and creative industry thought leaders whose energy and insights made for a powerful event.

The discussions explored #EndSARS as an extraordinary movement largely driven by young people, while focusing on what comes next. Key takeaways from the event were the remarkable ingenuity of the Nigerian youth in demanding justice and reform from their government and institutions, as well as the instrumental roles that technology and the creative industries will play as positive agents of change in the fight for Africa’s future.

Watch the two-part series on our YouTube channel here: http://bit.ly/3c0fpNp

SESSIONS

Digital Canvas: How Technology is Shaping Modern Activism #EndSARS 

Technology plays a vital role in social movements around the world. In the #EndSARS movement, it provides a framework to inform, support, amplify and organize protests while giving the movement the means to circumvent the limits of traditional institutions. Social Media and technology provide a level of transparency that many governments find difficult to deflect; while offering a platform for citizens to demand accountability and justice. From social media platforms, online news media to payment platforms, this session discusses how the landscape of social movements and activism has been altered by technology; and what opportunities these constantly evolving innovations hold for the future of governance in Africa.

Creative Power and Conscious Awakening: Eyes on Nigeria #EndSARS

When Nigerian singer, Runtown, and entertainer, Falz took to the streets of Lagos, Nigeria to protest against police brutality, they amplified the #EndSARS movement, framed it as a movement affecting every social class in the nation and placed it at the top of public agenda. Like Black Lives Matter, the #MeToo movement, and the Hong Kong protests before it, the #EndSARS movement has been boosted by voices from the creative industries. The 2020 edition of Big Brother Nigeria received over 900 million votes leading to concerns about the priorities of Gen Z and assumptions about their apathy towards politics and governance. However, their gaze has now shifted to the social issues confronting all Nigerians; a switch in focus that makes governments uncomfortable. This session examines how celebrities, influencers and the creative industry power social movements globally and how these voices can continue to leverage “soft power” in the fight for Africa’s future.

PARTNER