STRADA Development Initiative
Engaging Borders Africa
Employing literature + arts in a soft approach to change perceptions of violent extremism, radicalization, and hate amongst Africa’s digital youth.
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The Story Behind Engaging Borders.
The Engaging Borders Africa project, designed by Nigerian writer, Richard Ali, works with writers and journalists to mainstream a soft approach to addressing violent extremism, disinformation and hate speech on the continent.
Our aim is to resist the narratives to extremists by hosting thirty (30) counternarrative short stories crafted by young people from Nigeria, Mali, Niger Republic, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Kenya, and to produce three (3) short films.
At the core of our pan-African project is a two-day MOOC-style virtual workshop on PCVE + Creative Writing delivered in English and French, backed by an extensive network of partners commited to an Africa of inclusion, cooperation, progress and development.
Stories
12 Jan
EBA Admin
YAPD4Africa Turns 5
For the past five years, Youth Awareness for Peace and Development (YAPD4Africa) has been working tirelessly to empower marginalized communities in Africa through access to educati
6 Apr
EBA Admin
Press Release: Engaging Borders Announces Screenwriters for Sahel Film Making Project
Embargo: Open The Engaging Borders Africa project created by Nigerian novelist, Richard Ali, has announced a filmmaking component to its preventing and countering violent extremism
12 Feb
Sanogo Fanidh
The Vultures of Lumbila || Fanidh Sanogo
In the Sahel, time seemed to have frozen ever since the crusting soil’s gaps became so wide, one could smell lucifer’s dinner from the pits of hell. Cows collapsed along with a
12 Feb
Lucy Wangari
Sound of Silence || Lucy Wangari
It has dawned on me that the very idea is ridiculous. No one is coming to save me, be it in white clothes or otherwise. I'm doomed, Njeri. Doomed!
12 Feb
Clifford Oduor
The Black Widow || Clifford .O. Ochieng
One day, he received a friend request from a user who went by the name Black Widow. Black Widow’s cover photo was a black flag with Arabic writings and her profile picture was of
12 Feb
Adekeye Oluwasegun Lukman
What Will Allah Say On The Last Day? || Adekeye Lukman
“What will Allah say on the last day? The one teaching has taught the wrong thing, the ones learning have learnt the wrong thing. Who will carry this burden? What will Allah say?
12 Feb
Alkasim
The Baobab of Waroba || Alkasim Abdulkadir
A little later, things became quiet and for some time it seemed things were back to normal but something became very clear: the Nigerian Army was no longer the greater enemy. Since
12 Feb
Mercy Gladys Atieno Otieno
The Coin || Mercy Gladys Ateino
They are in prison with no bars yet others like to think that they are free when they are not because freedom entails doing what you want when you want and they do not have that. T
12 Feb
Bashir Yahaya
The Unwary Almajiri || Bashir Yahaya
On the tenth day after the abduction, at about 1.00 a.m., Kaushe and his men attacked the divisional police station at Gabari using Molotov cocktails and an assortment of other arm
News
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YAPD4Africa Turns 5
For the past five years, Youth Awareness for Peace and Development (YAPD4Africa) has been working tirelessly to empower marginalized communities in Africa through access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities.
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Press Release: Engaging Borders Announces Screenwriters for Sahel Film Making Project
Embargo: Open The Engaging Borders Africa project created by Nigerian novelist, Richard Ali, has announced a filmmaking component to its preventing and countering violent extremism (PCVE) programme. In a message
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The Vultures of Lumbila || Fanidh Sanogo
In the Sahel, time seemed to have frozen ever since the crusting soil’s gaps became so wide, one could smell lucifer’s dinner from the pits of hell. Cows collapsed along with acacia leaves, and vultures gained weight. Since it only rained guns these days, herd boys buried their cows and befriended the machine guns from the sky.
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From Our Community
“Violent extremism has no universally accepted definition. It’s expoused by people with strong views on issues using or supporting ideologically motivated violence to achieve certain objectives.”
Fanidh Sanogo
Burkina Faso
“Poverty, unemployment, ignorance, segregation, non-inclusion in economic advancement, poor governance, social exclusion, distortion of beliefs, disunity in society, social networks, victimization, are all pathways to the radicalization of young people in Africa.”
Uyadie Moses
Nigeria
“N’a pas de définition universellement acceptée, Quelqu’un avec des opinions bien arrêtées sur les problèmes, Utiliser ou soutenir la violence à motivation idéologique pour atteindre certains objectifs, Déployer la violence en permanence.”
Souleymane Maiga
Mali
“Mes expériences dans le domaine de la PCVE ont été celles de la communication et de la sensibilisation à travers des pièces de théâtre dans différents lieux. L’atelier Engaging Borders m’a été très utile.”
Issa Maiga
Mali
“Story telling serves as a tool for change in the society. it is important as it acts as a mirror and a voice for a people.”
Wangari Lucy
Kenya
“Being empathic, balancing narratives and saying both sides of the conflict as it is while staying objective are very important in telling stories that are aimed at changing perceptions, especially of young vulnerable people who are the prime targets of extremist radicalization.”
Yasser Salim
Kenya