#defyhatenow aims to raise awareness of and develop means to mitigate social media-based hate speech, conflict rhetoric, and online incitement to violence.
The program does so through a grassroots, community-based approach to peacebuilding, training, and conflict reconciliation.
The goal is to strengthen and amplify the voices of peace in the local communities and within the diaspora communities. The program also helps bridge the gaps of knowledge and awareness of social media mechanisms between those with easy access to technology and those without.
#defyhatenow trainings cover topics such as social media literacy, online security & privacy, and hate speech & conflict mitigation. Training resources include Social Media Hate Speech Mitigation Field Guide kits and online trainings.
#defyhatenow has been running since 2014 and is active in South Sudan, Cameroon, and Ethiopia.
For more information visit: defyhatenow.org
#defyhatenow_contacts:
Stephen Kovats
Co-initiator of #defyhatenow and Global Project Lead
kovats@openculture.agency
Susanne Bellinghausen
Co-initiator of #defyhatenow and Global International Community Advisor
susanne@openculture.agency
Marina Modi
Executive Director, South Sudan
marina@defyhatenow.org
Ngala Desmond
Country Project Manager, Cameroon
ngala@defyhatenow.org
Nganlay Laure
Communication Manager, Cameroon
laure@defyhatenow.org
Kendi Gikunda
Field Guide Resources Lead
kendi@defyhatenow.org
Dan King'ori
IT Solutions Architect
dan@defyhatenow.org
Biruk Tegegn
Project Coordinator, Ethiopia
biruk@defyhatenow.org
Meron Anteneh
Community Outreach & Training Associate, Ethiopia
meron@defyhatenow.org
#defyhatenow_field_guide
The #defyhatenow field guide kit is a peacebuilding resource designed to support community-based organizations in conducting workshops aimed at increasing social media and online skills, raising awareness about the spread of mis- and disinformation, and learning how to mitigate online hate speech by amplifying positive voices in the community.
It includes a guidebook with teaching resources, handouts and exercises, printable posters, and an educational board game.
The #defyhatenow field guide kit for South Sudan is written in English and can be found here.
The #defyhatenow field guide kit for Cameroon is available in both English and French and can be found here.
The #defyhatenow field guide kit for Ethiopia is available in both English and Amharic and can be found here.
#defyhatenow_posters
#defyhatenow_audio
#defyhatenow_video
#defyhatenow_highlights
Celebrating the First Graduates of the Africa Fact-Checking Fellowship – #defyhatenow Ethiopia (AFF-ETH)
The Africa Fact-Checking Fellowship – Ethiopia (AFF-ETH) is empowering youth to tackle disinformation! On October 11, 2024, our first cohort of 15 fellows graduated from the Africa Fact-Checking Fellowship – Ethiopia (AFF-ETH), marking a significant step forward in the fight against disinformation. AFF-ETH is one of the programs implemented under the #defyhatenow-Ethiopia initiative and funded…
Navigating Bamenda with Mbuh Stella
Please join us in Navigating Bamenda, the second part of our #defyhatenow series featuring journalist Mbuh Stella.
DIASPORA DIALOGUES: Cameroon youth at the crossroads of crisis, roles and perspectives of Cameroonian Diaspora youth.
We shall specially consider the special role of Cameroon based outside Cameroon; their perspectives on transforming the conflict in Cameroon and the particular roles young people play.
Dissertation result presentation: Merga Yonas “Digital Public Sphere – Perspectives of the African Diaspora”.
We are excited to host Merga Yonas at the r0g_office in Berlin as he discusses his PhD dissertation publication in an event titled “Digital Public Sphere – Perspectives of African Diaspora.” Merga is a Consultant and a Journalist based in Bonn, Germany. He was born in Dembi Dollo, Oromia Regional State of Ethiopia. His first…
THE IROKO OF PEACEBUILDING IN HER COMMUNITY – ROSE OBAH.
With the International Women’s Day, being on 8 March 2022, we talked to some of our partners on how their advocacy work for gender equality today builds a sustainable tomorrow for women in their communities. We talked to Rose Obah, a peace journalist and trainer in conflict transformation. She has worked with various communities ensuring…
#peacejam2021 Live Schedule
Pre Registration link https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJctd-yurjgqG9RYMF6GgToGpsQoDJECJ2Vb Thematic moderated discussions Recovering after displacement – A chat with refugees and IDPs on their role in conflict transformation Host – Marina Modi, #defyhatenow South Sudan (Juba) Special Guest Contributors Blaise Mbuh -Founder Bamenda Film school Susan Duku – Executive Director RAWYA, Former Uganda RefugeesRepresentatives to Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework John…
UN International Day of Peace, #defyhatenow Social Media #PeaceJam2021
Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on 21 September. At #defyhatenow we join the International Day of Peace commemoration by having #peacejam activities and discussions that call for conflict mitigation against acts of hate online and offline. We invite you to jam for peace with us from wherever you are in the world,…
Who is responsible for regulating hate speech online?
By: Fogha Mc Cornilius Hate Speech is as difficult to define as it is to regulate. There is no international consensus on what is considered hate speech and what isn’t. The difficulty with regulating hate speech is that it sometimes infringes on the freedom of speech, which is a right defended by international law. In…
One Africa 2, By Mac Alunge
There is no enemy We own our own our own remedy We make up one body, we are one family Soldiers in the same army ‘Enemy’, a blind invention of humanity Designed to distract us from harmony Causing division, pain and misery Obstructing the anatomy of our economy But if we do have an enemy…
Why dictionaries have to go through changes: A short excursion into the philosophy of language
Whenever new words are added to the Duden, probably the best-known dictionary in Germany, controversial discussions tend to come up in no time. A short excursion into the philosophy of language not only reveals the ambiguous character of language but also illustrates the important role dictionaries play in society. The mutability of the German languageLanguages…
COVID19 _#StopCorona
Common Measures to Stop the Spread of Corona Virus Wash your hands (20 seconds) with soap and potable water Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth Use a hand sanitizer / hydro-alcoholic gel when you’re out Maintain social distance – at least 1.5 metres Don’t hug, kiss or shake hands when you meet Use a…
End-of-Year event 2018 #HateFreeSouthSudan
Juba, 27th November 2018 – We cordially invite you to attend the #defyhatenow end-of-your-events in Juba and various locations in Uganda, Kenya, Sudan and Egypt to celebrate the achievements made in social media hate speech mitigation since 2014. [Download the official press release End-of-Year Event 2018] Over the past four years #defyhatenow and its partners has…
Peacebuilding through social media literacy in South Sudan
How can social media literacy accelerate peacebuilding efforts in post-conflict regions like South Sudan? Discuss with us on Tuesday, Oct 23, 2018 from 5pm. Presentations start at 6pm. Two of our colleagues from the #defyhatenow project, nominated as Peace Ambassadors to attend the One Young World Summit in The Hague will be joining us in Berlin.…
#PeaceJam18 online for UN World Peace Day
Download the PDF Version of this press release. Juba September 15, 2018 – #defyhatenow is proud to coordinate the international social media #PeaceJam18 for UN World #PeaceDay on September 21st 2018 with the theme: Peace for all. We aim to connect South Sudanese and peace jammers around the world on UN World #PeaceDay to increase…
Online and offline polarization
The impact of social media on peace, and how to turn the tide This article was originally published on frient-peacebuilding-forum.de/../frient-peace-building-forum-2018/… Overview The worldwide spread of social media both opens new horizons and poses new challenges to peacebuilders. Social media platforms contribute to freedom of speech. Even so, the filter bubbles they create can also…
Between hate and hope
Lessons from Kenya on hate speech and political manipulation originally published at furtherfield.org/review-of-the-hate-news-conference The conference began with Jo Havemann presenting #DefyHateNow, a campaign by r0g_agency for open culture and critical transformation, a community peace-building initiative aimed at combating online hate speech and mitigating incitement to offline violence in South Sudan. More than ten years ago the…
Launching the Social Media Hate Speech Mitigation Field Guide
Download the PDF Version of this press release Juba, 2nd July 2018 – The community peace building initiative #defyhatenow is launching the Social Media Hate Speech Mitigation Field Guide comprising tools, strategies and resources to combat hate speech both online and offline. Date: Monday, July 2nd, 2018 Time: 2pm – 5pm Venue: Hai Mauna Classic…
A peacetech approach to mitigate mass violence in South Sudan
This article was originally published on frient-peacebuilding-forum.de/pbf-voices-blog/… How can technologies and digital media be strategically used to achieve conflict-resolution and peacebuilding objectives? To answer this question, peacetech is a growing field that allows peace advocates and local communities to develop new forms of engagement. The term peacetech thereby refers to two different approaches: 1) Utilizing existing online/social…
#defyhatenow at the Social Media Conference in Kampala, Uganda
The UGANDA SOCIAL MEDIA CONFERENCE 2018 had its focus on: DEMOCRACY AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT IN THE AGE OF DIGITAL (DIS) INFORMATION CONFERENCE BACKGROUND The Uganda Social Media Conference is an annual programme organized by the Uganda country office of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) which aims to bring together key stakeholders from government, civil society, academia and…
South Sudanese colleagues visiting Berlin
With a range of exciting events happening these days in Berlin we are very happy to welcome three of our colleagues from South Sudan. The founders of the #Go Girls ICT Initiative Yine Yenki and Eva Yayi as well as Bior Jaden attended the annual Global Innovation Gathering, presented at this year’s 12th edition of…
Raising awareness on the misuse of Social Media
Download the PDF Version of this press release Juba, 6th April 2018: #ThinkB4UClick (Think Before You Click) is an awareness campaign that aims at pointing out the dangers of misinformation, fake news and hate speech with a focus on South Sudan. Over a period of one month, we aim to discuss with the public the…
DEFY – the film
Download the PDF version of this press release Combating hate speech through the Arts Starring Silvano Yokwe, Doker Stephen, Winnie Joseph, Nicole Mariam Produced by SKP South Sudan, Bilpam Studios with r0g_agency Director Egily Hakim Egily Written by Sam Lukudu Juba, 26th February 2018. – The community peace building initiative #defyhatenow is proud…
#Rhinotalks
#RhinoTalks, brought together different actors and relevant stakeholders from South Sudanese NGOs in Uganda, Journalists and refugee settlements leaders with the aim of sharing / developing of strategies for mitigating the occurrence of hate rhetoric among south Sudanese asylum seeking communities in Uganda.
#Peace4all video released
The new #Peace4ALL music video from the #PeaceVillage in collaboration with #defyhatenow takes place Tuesday March 28th 2017 at 6pm. More information at www.defyhatenow.net
Juba Wiki Sprint
Wikipedia Peace Sprint Within the #defyhatenow initiative we were training students from the University of Juba on writing and editing information about South Sudan on Wikipedia, the online global encyclopedia from 6-9 November 2017. Read the #defyhatenow press release (PDF) Objectives Empowering South Sudanese to have a global voice in national narratives and knowledge in…
Constructed and Open Identities in the Fog of War and Peace
Socio-Political and Historical Context of Hate-Speech in South Sudan | by Roman Deckert. The people of South Sudan have been suffering from one of the gravest humanitarian crisis since major armed conflicts erupted in 2013. About 2 million have been internally displaced, while more than 1.5 million fled to neighbouring countries, mainly Uganda, Kenia…
Wau Wikipedia Peace Agents
Using Wikipedia to #defyhatenow in Wau, South Sudan. The #defyhatenow team held a Wikipedia peace agents workshop in Wau. Wau Wikipedia Peace Agents #defyhatenow 15-16th December Wikipedia was searched to get an initial overview of information about South Sudan, what languages are being used and for things that are particularly interesting to promote peace, unity…
ojoVoz Workshop in Berlin
#defyhatenow Workshop in Berlin, Germany For more information on ojoVoz visit https://r0g.zeitpunkt-agentur.org/outcomes/ojovoz/
#PeaceJam 2016
#defyhatenow social media #peacejam r0g_agency are very happy to coordinate the international social media #peacejam for UN World #peaceday, September 21st 2016 Events taking place now with #defyhatenow partners in Juba, Wau & Maban (South Sudan); Nairobi & Kibera (Kenya); Rhino Camp in Uganda, Edmonton Canada; and whever you are online. Please use hashtags #PeaceJam #DefyHateNow #SouthSudan…
#defyhatenow background notes
Background research for detailed “DefyHateNow campaign + robust training curriculum summary of different policies, contexts and approaches re:monitoring and combatting hate speech on- and off-line. r0g_agency for open culture and critical transformation Susanne Bellingshausen, Abiol Lual Leng, Yoann Fily, Stephen Kovats, Jodi Rose #DefyHateNow is an initiative to combat social media hate speech by…
South Sudan #DeepDive: Prof. Leben Nelson Moro
Join us for a special evening with our guest Prof. Leben Nelson Moro from the Center for Peace and Development Studies, University of Juba, South Sudan. At a time framed by the extremes of humanitarian crisis, immense pressures on equitable development and great uncertainty in its future political path South Sudan: #DeepDive is a unique…
#defyhatenow_funding:
#defyhatenow was funded from 2015 to 2018 by the ifa – Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen with means from the German Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt). From 2019 onwards it has been funded directly through the German Federal Foreign Office.
since 2020 also funded by:
