FINAL REPORT
Activity Name
|
Yaounde Youth Engage In Peace Messaging
|
Description
|
“Yaoundé
youth engage in peace messaging” Promote 2017
“Empowering Youths
And Building Peace Through Arts”
|
Activity Area & Timeline
|
PROMOTE
FAIR 2017: 11th-19th February 2017
|
Grantee Name
|
Sweet@rt’frika Association
|
Date of final Submission
|
February 25, 2017
|
A-
PRESENTATION OF THE CONTEXT (1) AND OBJECTIVES
(2) OF THE CAMPAIGN
1 -
CONTEXT
Since the year 2014, Boko Haram, an Islamic
terrorist group has been multiplying attacks on Cameroonian territory as well
as some neighbouring countries, enrolling youths, killing many innocent people,
looting villages and sometimes forcing the population to displace themselves.
This situation has resulted to a humanitarian crisis in the northern regions of
Cameroon; there is need to inspire youth on good practices of peace building
and sustainable development based on models from their own communities. This is
the reason why artists of the association Sweet@rt’frica initiate the movement
entitled “Yaoundé youth engage in peace messaging”. Sweet@rt’frica is a
collective of young Cameroonian visual artists whose aim is to e promote social
and cultural development of the peoples of Africa; the collective has been
committed since 2014 in the promotion of peace and tolerance.
2-
OBJECTIVES
OF THE ACTIVITY
The
global objective is to empower youths through peace messaging. The specific
objectives include:
Ø To
distribute 1500 T-shirts for free.
Ø To
educate youth on the necessity of the construction of a lasting Peace, the
maintenance of Social Cohesion within their communities for development.
Ø To
disseminate the message of Peace and Social Cohesion within communities.
B-
Kick-off
of the campaign (1) and presentation of the Sweet@art’frica team members with
their responsibilities
1-
KICK-OFF
OF THE CAMPAIGN
February 11th 2017 witnessed the kick-off
of the activities at 8AM at the Yaounde International Business fair, PROMOTE,
where Sweet@art’frica projected their vision for a peaceful but far reaching
youth social movement catalysing a new renaissance in Africa. The OTI sponsored
booth of the association was located at the American pavilion of the fair. Empowering youths and building peace through
art was the message the association passed throughout and our major tool to
attain this was the distribution of T-shirts on which the message was inscribed
in order for youths to have ‘strong minds’ and ‘open hearts’ ( The campaign
ended on February 19 at 8PM.
2-
SWEET@RT’FRICA
TEAM MEMBERS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The following
was the composition of the team members present at PROMOTE 2017 with their
responsibilities:
-
1person at the
reception for communication and orientation
-
3 surveyors to
administer questionnaires
-
1 performing artists
who had as role to do body paintings and other artistic work.
-
3 persons in charge of mobilizing
and inviting youth to the booth
-
1 person in charge of
transports and logistics
C-
Activities
at PROMOTE (1) and highlights (2)
1-
ACTIVITES
AT PROMOTE
The activity
consisted to distribute T-shirts bearing the message ‘Hope Jeunesse’ (1.1) this
after the conduction of surveys (1.2) and the freestyle workshop for body
painting (1.3). Each visitor who came to the booth of the association was
welcomed by a team member and oriented on our activity:
1.1-
Distribution
of T-shirts
This was the
principal activity in the Sweet@art’frica booth. These T-shirts will serve as a
major tool to sensitize youths on the peace messaging thus youth empowerment.
The message inscribed on each T-shirt was ‘Hope Jeunesse.’ T-shirts were of
four different colours which were black, blue, white and green. The T-shirts
were distributed during all the period of the campaign. A total number of 1368
T-shirts were distributed in the booth and the rest were offered to special and
VIP GUESTS: officials, foreigners, ambassadors of the USA, Canada etc.
NB: mention we
had educational messages in the
Perceptions
about the T-shirt and messaging
From a general
point of view, almost all the youths who visited our booth appreciated the idea
of the distribution of T-shirt on which was summarised the concept of “Hope
Jeunesse” (the Concept of empowering youth and building peace through arts) and
representing the idea of education and its role,in social development. In their
majority, they appreciated the fact that we use T-shirts as the major tool to
pass on our peace messaging. They said this help to re-awake the spirit of
Cameroonian youths on the important role each of them has to play in an environment
suffering from insecurity, this went to embrace the thoughts of the mother a
soldier who was injured during one of the Boko Haram attacks. ‘I’m sure my son
will be pleased to hear about this initiative….’she said. Sweet@rt’frica as
well as the soldiers in the Far north regions are out to fight against radicalisation,
using different methods.
Even security guards as well as those in
charge of sanitation at the pavilion sometimes left their work and came to our
booth for the survey. After they went to inform their colleagues about our
initiatives who in their own turn came to our booth. Also, a police man haven
heard about the initiative through his colleagues came to our booth. He
participated in the activity and was offered a T-shirt at the end. “Thanks for
this initiative” he told us happily. “This project which aims at educating the
youth will help us to face less violence or juvenile delinquency” he said. 
Conducting
surveys was one of the activities in the Sweet Art’frika booth at PROMOTE. It
was a very challenging exercise and also interesting as well to know what
youths think about the various questions that were addressed to them. The
survey was conducted from the kick-off of our activities right to the last day
of the campaign. A total number of 1233 people have been surveyed by the team. In general, people had mixed
feelings about the questions that were asked to them. Some said they were well
structured, others thought otherwise. But some youths came to realize
themselves after running the questions as if there were not existing before
that. For example when asked about her objectives in life, a youth replied that
till then she has not thought of a life objective. She finished by saying she
has to start giving a direction to her life.
1.3-
Freestyle
workshop for body painting
This was
initiated with the aim of making our activity look more attractive, original
and interactive. It was animated by arts performers. The
freestyle workshop where body painting was done on the themes: hope, freedom, education
as the key for Peace and Prosperity. The
choice of these themes stems from the fact that education is the main message
of sensitization regarding the situation in the Cameroon. This youth must be
free and proud to carry the development of Africa on his shoulders and impact
on the future of global youth by eradicating ignorance. Theo, a 22 years old
volunteer artist who believes in this concept, gave us a helping hand during
the event as one of the arts performers, painting and performing for free. .
Perception
of youths in regards to the body painting
Most of the
youths appreciated this initiative as they were very willing to have painted
messages on the themes mentioned above in regards to our campaign. Some
accepted to add a key logo on their body painting, the key representing the
change of mentalities for the success of African renaissance. The workshop was therefore a busy area.
Mention must be made here that some adults also accepted to have a body
painting in order to manifest their solidarity for the initiative. For
example one of the many journalists who came to visit accepted the body
painting. The impact of this activity is
therefore non-negligible because most of those who were painted had the feeling
to be the ambassadors of the movement as they happily paraded around the fair
show casing them.
2-
HIGHLIGHT
Government officials accompanied the U.S
ambassador during his visit. Some ministers were present; others were
represented by a delegate or the secretary general of the ministry. They
include: the ministry of external relations, the ministry of finance, the
minister of commerce, the ministry of economic, planning and regional
development, the ministry of women’s empowerment and family and the ministry of
small and medium size enterprises. Customised
T-shirts were also offered to them.
D-
Observations
(1) and suggestions (2)
1-
OBSERVATIONS
The following
are the lessons learned:
1.1-
Successes
-
Everybody was pleased
with the aesthetics of the T-shirt (colours, message design and quality)
-
We had a target age group of 15-35years, but
at the end, all age groups and social status were interested with the activity.
-
Our booth was acknowledged
by all the other booths in the pavilion as the most visited, the most
attractive, original and dynamic booth. From day
1 of this activity till the end, we had over 3000 visitors.
-
All other exhibitors in
the neighbouring booths came to encourage us
-
All the T-shirts were
distributed and people were still demanding for more at the end of the activity. Every day, we had people who came in their numbers
and stood in a line in order pass the survey after which they were given
T-shirts. Some even came the next day or some days after still to have another
one. This demonstrates the level of interest youths had for our activity.
-
Some people stood up in
a line for a long period of time and this till they have gotten their T-shirt
after the survey. Others came
the following day wearing their T-shirt to discuss with us.
-
More
than 100 people showed interest in joining the movement and contribute in
networking by giving us their contacts
-
Youths who visited our booth saw us as role
models.
-
Many
other youth leaders, actors of the civil society and public sphere came to
visit us (see pictures attached in appendix)
-
At
the end of the trade fair, the demand was increasingly growing and people
expressed their desire for the activity to be done across the national territory.
-
The Anglophones who
visited our booth were very satisfied the survey and the reception as well was
also done in English.
-
Some people immediately
embraced the concept of our activity. Some youths who looked like street boys
came to our booth with the intention of spoiling all what was done. After
observing, they saw the seriousness we were putting in our work and how
beautiful the T-shirts were. The leader of the gang then accepted to have a
brief on the concept after which he accepted passing the survey. He was very
emotional at the end, especially as he told us that his role model was his
mother. After he was offered a T-shirt, he instructed his gang members to
follow. At the end, they all had their T-shirts and promised to pass on the
message.
Ø Visitors
who came to our booth were well received.
Ø Participants
on the other hand appreciated the team spirit which they witnessed in our booth
and showed their appreciation. They showed interest in participating and
answering the various questions of the survey and most of them gave suggestions
at the end of the questionnaire. Some of them include extending the scope of
our activity, adding other aspects of arts in our work etc.
1.2-
Challenges/Lessons
Learned
There are as
follows
·
Sometimes, we
experienced electricity cut. This slowed down activities in the booth
·
Some visitors left our
booth sad because they did not have the required age limit for the survey.
·
Some
visiotrs stood for several minutes waiting for their own turn, others came
after working hours.
·
The
space in our booth was small and sometimes insufficient for people who were
waiting.
CONCLUSION
Empowering
youth through arts and using peace messaging has recorded a great success as
many people did appreciate the initiative. The campaign ahead looks challenging
and tedious but with the lessons learned from the above, the association is
well motivated to move forward with this noble initiative.
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