AFPLI CELEBRATES ICDB with WFM 91.7 and KAFTAN TV
Since 1991, UNICEF has encouraged broadcasters to raise awareness about children’s issues through multiple platforms. ICDB takes places on the first Sunday in March, a day when broadcasters around the world have a chance to empower young people by giving them media skills and putting their voices on the air. This idea plays well into one of the concepts of the AFPLI – Students Acquiring Media Skills for Peacebuilding (SAMS)
In furtherance of its commitment toward increasing participation and engagement of children in the broadcasting industry, African Foundation for Peace and Love Initiatives in partnership with WFM 91.7 (a Women Radio Channel located at Arepo in Ogun State, Nigeria, and KAPTAN TV (a television station with its headquarters in South Africa), held a two-day live program in celebration of the UNICEF International Children’s Day of Broadcasting (ICDB) on the 10th and 11th of March, 2020.
The program tagged: Save Our Tomorrow had 15 children expressed their views and opinions about policies, practices and actions that can enhance sustainable livelihood of children in Nigeria.
It is evident that today’s children are concerned about the growing insecurity in parts of the country increasing numbers of out of school children, climate change, inefficient health care center insufficient, economic opportunities and other developmental agendas as enshrined in the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).These challenges pose serious threats to our children’s future and thus, ICDB 2020 is an opportunity for them to air their views and hopes for a safer future.
The schools that were represented at the program are:
1. TimeOn KAIROS Community College, (TKCC), 12 Remoye Street, Egbeda, Akowonjo, Lagos Education District One.
2. Brem College, Shasha, Akonwonjo, Lagos Education District One.
The programme revolved around three major issues:
1) Child right and child protection
2) Sustainability Development Goals 3,4 and 5
3) Special Session (Drama) on the International Organisation Migration’s story of Illegal migration.
The students that participated are:
1) Efe Daniel (TKCC)
2) Happiness Daniel (TKCC)
3) Precious Ediowele (BREM)
4) Precious Iwokolo (BREM)
5) Coker Oluwakorede(BREM)
6) Tolulope Okanlawon (TKCC)
7) Destiny Ogbeise (TKCC)
8) Ogunbudele Racheal (TKCC)
9) Amarachi Joseph (TKCC)
10) Goodness Ababio (TKCC)
11) Juliet Chimezie (BREM)
12) Roseline Ojai (BREM)
13) Akanbi Abim (BREM)
14) Victor Ukwoma (BREM)
The African Foundation for Peace and Love Initiatives (AFPLI) spent three weeks to organize the project under the able leadership of Adeola Ogunlade, the organization’s media person, who also doubles as the Liaison Officer for the KAIROS Peace and Love Club (KPLC), UNILAG chapter. Adeola also works as a freelance journalist at The Nation Newspapers.
Rehearsals were held at the two schools on various days with a joint rehearsal held at the TimeOn KAIROS College to prepare the participants for the event. Students were taught various presentation skills on television and radio broadcasting. Special areas of interest include presentation skills, script writing, handling of media tools and equipment, story collections, open mic interviews, voice rendition, phonetics, to mention a few.
Alongside other peace media signature programs promoted by AFPLI such as the Student Acquiring Peace Media Skills (SAMS) and Peace Media Parley (PMP), the events of ICDB seek to galvanize young people for youth peace and nation building. With this goal in mind, the activities of the 2020 ICDB were projected to reach out to the listening audience, who also are mostly children, the feeling that they too can contribute to the peace and sustainable development in their schools, communities, and environments.
Each of the participating radio and television station imparted a unique experience and exciting exposure to the students. For example, at Kaftan TV, which is a South African owned television station based in Lagos, the Production Manager, Niyi Jacobs gave a pep talk to the students. He told the students to be confident and look beyond the camera while presenting their programmes, never to be anxious, open to learning, and give brief answers to questions during the roundtable and interview segment.
To create a simultaneous atmosphere of broadcaster and of the listener (audience), participants took turns by rotating their roles and topics. For example, the roundtable segment was done at the two stations. Precious Ediowele, an SS3 student from Brem College moderated the roundtable at the two Stations on child abuse and child’s protection.
The panelists and discussants included Happiness Daniel, Tolulope Okanlawon, Destiny Ogbeise from TimeOn Kairos College and Precious Iwokolo from Brem College while the rest of the participants served the role of the listening audience.
At WFM 91.7, radio station, Daniel Efe, a student from TimeOn KAIROS, did the Question and Answer session on child abuse and child trafficking. The respondents were students and they are Coker Okanlawon, Juliet Chimezie, Akanbi Abim from Brem College and Amarachi Joseph from TimeOn Kairos College.
At news time at both the Kaftan TV and WFM 91.7, Daniel Efe, a JSS 2 students from TimeOn KAIROS College and Precious Ediowele from Brem College read the news.
The Drama piece on The Migrant Journey was except gotten from the United Nations International Ogranisation of Migration, Egypt true life story on Illegal Migration with the theme The Migrant Journey. The drama was staged at WFM 91.7 radio station. All the students played various roles in the drama, such as instigators, the abductors, law enforcers, and government leadership roles. Adeola Ogunlade, the coordinator, moderated and directed the drama.
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While the event was going on, students back home in both schools (TKCC and BREM) were able to listen to the radio broadcast and also watch the performances of the their students while on television.
In his opening address, the Founding President of African Foundation for Peace and Love Initiatives (AFPL)I, Rev Dr. Titus Kalowole Oyeyemi noted that the ICDB was aimed at exposing children to the workings of the media and how it can be used to build peace and equity in a divided world. He noted that since 2003, African Children of Peace Club (ACPC) being the first of the four school-base peace clubs that the organization is using to promote youth peace and national building initiatives within the Nigeria Education system.
He noted that the 2020 ICDB provided another opportunity for the cast
to express their desires for peaceful co-existence, eradication of child abuse and child trafficking, and equal right to sustainable education for the male and female child. He mentioned that Nigeria children are also concerned about climate change, provision of efficient health care centers, economic opportunities and other developmental agenda as enshrined in the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In consonance with the vision and mission of the ICDB as espoused by UNICEF, “We are also desirous to empower children and create media access for them to tell their stories, express their hopes, share their aspirations. Children need awareness to see, pursue, explore, engage, and utilize opportunities around them to build improved and sustainable future”, he said.
He thanked the children and their schools for participating in the events, and also appreciated the two media houses, the Kaftan TV and WFM 91.7,for hosting the events and making them memorable.
Reported by Mr. Adeola Ogunlade, (08083127847), ICDB 2020 Coordinator
Edited by Rev. Dr. Titus K. Oyeyemi, (0803807144), FP/CEO APPLI/AFPLI