Following UNESCO’s launch of the interview series, Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Experts Speak against racial discrimination, a youth MIL practitioners from Nigeria and a UNESCO MIL Chair in Russian Federation share their personal narratives. They talk about how, by becoming media and information literate, people can resist all forms of stereotypes that lead to discrimination and hate.
Non-racial discrimination and anti-hate speech are the "raison d’être" of UNESCO. UNESCO was founded in 1945 after the Second World War on the famous maxim that “if wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the bastion of peace should be constructed.”
“We can also say that if racial discrimination and hate begins in the minds of men and women, it is by enabling people’s critical thinking and values of tolerance, respect, and empathic thinking that prejudice and discrimination can be abated,” said Alton Grizzle, UNESCO Programme Specialist on MIL.
UNESCO is undertaking many purposefully designed actions to this end. For instance, the UNESCO Media and Information Literacy and Intercultural Dialogue University Network Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic focuses on uniting people under the cause of discerning factual information from destructive discourses. This initiative aims to promote human solidarity, cultural diversity, and the fight against racism through media and information literacy in these unprecedented times.
The UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP) advances social and emotional literacy as integral to media and information literacy. UNESCO MGIEP has launched a Global Lesson in Social-Emotional Learning for people to self-empower by cultivating skills such as empathy, mindfulness, forgiveness, gratitude, and compassion.
Follow the links to connect and get involved in both initiatives above! Continue to read and to share in the experiences and thinking of the two interviewees below.
Daniel Nwaeze (Nigeria)
Media and Communications, Afrika Youth Movement and Global Coordinator of The UNESCO MIL Alliance Youth Committee
UNESCO: You are a young MIL/practitioner expert. How do you think MIL is relevant to tackle racial discrimination?
Daniel Nwaeze: I believe MIL dissects and deconstructs the facade that people are made to believe from excessive consumption of a single narrative. A narrative that projects one race or colour to be higher than the other has lost touch with time. As experts, we have to consciously build the narrative that people of different races are equal and endowed with same inalienable rights to expression, life and the pursuit of happiness. In doing this, MIL brings to light critical thinking and record gains in the fight against racial discrimination.
UNESCO: Have you had a personal experience of racial discrimination?
Daniel Nwaeze: Yes. In 2017, while on a short training in Germany, someone asked me "are you the Nigerian Prince?" This phrase is mostly used by online scammers/fraudsters. Outside this, it is a derogatory term to reflect fraud and used to mock a person. For a few moments, I felt sad that the first impression someone on another continent had of me is that of a fraudster. Even sadder, I had to work extra hard to prove that I merited being on the same stage with the person, and that I am not just another "Nigerian Prince".
UNESCO: How did you respond to the experience?
Daniel Nwaeze: I responded saying " a simple google search would have made you known that Nigeria is a multi-cultural society with historically great kingdoms. So no, we do not have a single prince, but we also practice a presidential system meaning our presidents are elected. I extended an invitation to Nigeria and offered to host the person whenever. This helped lightened the mood and we went on to discuss many other things. Meanwhile, I unpreparedly doubled as a promoter of my continent as a few other persons asked more questions about Africa and Africans.
UNESCO: How would you characterize incidents of racial discrimination in your country or in general?
Daniel Nwaeze: While racial discrimination is not dominant in Nigeria, its undertones exist in the form of tribalism, ethnicism, and religious bigotry. It led us to a bitter civil war that cost the lives of over 3 million (mostly children and youth) and currently threatening the very fabrics of our national unity. It is very common to see normal issues beginning to tilt towards religious, tribal, and/or ethnic lines. This goes to show that MIL is highly needed more than ever to help eliminate bias in reporting on the part of the content creators and help build better understanding and analytic mindset on the part of the populace.
UNESCO: Do you know about how MIL is being applied in your country address these challenges?
Daniel Nwaeze: Yes. A lot of young MIL experts, including me, have been individually and collaboratively building deep knowledge on MIL. The government push forward the bills termed "Hate Speech Bill" and Social Media Bill" but these have been met with a lot of genuine criticisms especially for the lack of clarity on what exactly constitutes hate speech or the extent to which social media can be regulated. During issues of misinformation and disinformation, through the MIL Consortia in Nigeria (MILCON), we have helped debunk false information and publish factcheck pieces. Also, I have worked with amazing content creators, journalists, young leaders and civil society organisations who have dedicated their lives and work to address these challenges. We usually communicate faster through our WhatsApp platform and share info.
Veronica Yarnykh (Russia)
Head of Global Programmes, UNESCO Chair of Media Information Literacy and Media Education of Citizens for the Purpose of Social Transformations and Intercultural Dialogue, Moscow Pedagogical State University
UNESCO: You are a MIL expert. How do you think MIL is relevant to tackle racial discrimination?
Veronica Yarnykh: I think that MIL is a very good and practical tool for counteracting racial discrimination or any type of discrimination. All types of discrimination are based on stereotypes and gaps between truth, disinformation and outright lies. MIL competencies give the opportunity for all people to have clear and solid real understanding of the roots of any discrimination.
UNESCO: Have you had a personal experience of racial discrimination?
Veronica Yarnykh: No, I have not had personal experiences of racial discrimination.
UNESCO: How did you respond to the experience?
Veronica Yarnykh: So, as I have never had a personal experience, I would think that it's very hard in responding to such experience. There are people who were able to overcome resentment, grudge and rage, and could translate these feelings into the positive actions. I think that such people deserve the greatest of respect.
UNESCO: How would you characterize incidents of racial discrimination in your country or in general?
Veronica Yarnykh: I can characterize the incidents of racial or any discrimination in general. Historically, in difficult situations we are ready to blame others. This is influenced by stereotypes, the general informational background, and gossips. Negative information that ignores mutual respect and understanding always reinforce mutual intolerance.
UNESCO: Do you know about how MIL is being applied in your country to address these challenges?
Veronica Yarnykh: In Russian Federation, any discrimination is prohibited at the legislative level. But if we talk about the incidents of intolerance, a lot of work is being done in the system of education in the Russian Federation. When training teachers and journalists, we use MIL tools showing the opportunities for countering intolerance, and discrimination, etc. in information spaces.
In secondary schools and colleges, teachers use MIL tools for work in multinational classes. Information and communication webinars are held to reach the widest possible audience for teaching how to use MIL as a tool in different spaces.
