PHOTO: Officers of AYF and Media Executives or station Managers posed for the photo
By Emmanuel Mafelah, mafelahemmanuel29@gmail.com
GBARNGA, Liberia-The African Youth Fellowship AYF with support from the European Union EU has taken concrete steps towards media-youth engagement strategic planning to enhance nonviolent elections in Liberia.
Giving the overview of the engagement Tuesday, May 30, 2023 at the conference here in the central Bong County, the founder of African Youth Fellowship or AYF Mr. Moses Buwee stressed that the media and youth have cardinal role to play if Liberia should have nonviolent elections in October this year.
Mr. Buwee added that with support from the EU his institution will work in partnership with community radio stations and young people to preach the message of peace across the country in the 2023 general and presidential elections.
He then promised that AYF will work closely with the EU to help address some constraints community radio stations face including lack of mobility.
According to him, African Youth Fellowship has since 2017 been working with young people to be productive people in society.
For his part EU Deputy Head of Mission to Liberia Mr. Amders Arvidsson admonished the media via the community radio to create platforms that will give young people the space to propagate the message of peace in the country.
At the same time Mr. Arvidsson wants the media to guide the public against hate messages which he believes has the propensity to create violent conflict in society.
Responding to the engagement by EU representative and African Youth Fellowship community radio station managers, including Mr. Samuel B. Kplawue, lauded the team for the engagement dialogue, but pointed out several challenges community radio stations are faced with.
Mr. Kplawue, who also serves as Press Union of Liberia Bong County Coordinator, noted that community radio stations in Bong like other counties are greatly challenged by lack of stable electricity supply and mobility, among others.
The use of Social Media by the public he added, has put great challenge to the traditional media where announcement and request form that should help management raise revenue to run the radio are no longer forth coming.
“One best way is to have youth leaders and the media sitting around the table to identify what are conflict sensitive issues and how the both can collaborate to prevent violent conflict in the ensuring elections,” Mr. Kplawue suggested.