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Carl Maswoswa-Youth Interactive Writer
A University of Zimbabwe student Felix Museki has won the inaugural 2022 Think Afrika national youth speech and writing competition.
Dubbed the “digital storytelling for social change”, the competition which ran from June to July this year invited youths between the ages of 15 and 24 to share stories and ideas of how Zimbabwe could scale up its action towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
By submitting essays or videos, youths were required to highlight their perspectives on potential avenues Zimbabwe could explore to make substantive progressive in achieving the 17 SDG’s.
Felix Museki’s submission was a video titled “distribution beats quality” earned him the first prize which was a laptop after convincing the adjudication panel of how Zimbabwe could reduce inequalities whilst ensuring elimination of poverty and promotion of decent work and economic growth.
Museki pointed out an “outdated retailing system” that disadvantaged rural communities and suggested the introduction of pseudo-electronic commerce which would be the master stroke solution to poverty, hunger and inequalities all with one stone.
Overall, the competition attracted over 100 entries from youths across Zimbabwe’s 10 provinces.
Most essay and video submissions were centred on SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), and SDG 13 (Climate Action).
If invested in, young people’s comprehensive proposals could revolutionise Zimbabwe’s socio-economic status.
Chief adjudicator Fungayi Sox stated that the majority of participants demonstrated proficiency and knowledge of Sustainable Development Goals and that a bulk of entries centred poverty and access to education and its correlation to child marriages, youth and women empowerment initiatives, technology as well as climate change.
The Think Afrika national youth speech and writing competition was supported by the Davis Peace Project, Dominican Convent and TisuMazwi.
In a statement, Think Afrika stated “Just like Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, they believed that “Stories mattered and that stories had been used to dispossess and to malign but could also be used to empower, humanise and repair broken dignity.
The statement added “Grassroots storytelling has become a gateway to amplify voices of marginalised communities, promote inclusion, and empower social groups”
Think Afrika expressed how, with the introduction of digital media, young people could now leverage on technology to facilitate widespread social interaction through written content, videos, art, audios and other related tech platforms.
Other winners included Tapiwa Chipumha,Brandon Doloboand Austin Manyama who walked away with cellphones and tablets.
The organisation expressed its commitment to continuously harnessing the power of digital media and storytelling to advance social change within and outside Africa’s continental borders.
Online Reporter