On 16th September 2021, the Global Network of Religions for Children (GNRC) Secretary General, Dr. Mustafa Y Ali, together with other partners launched the Fifth Edition of the ‘Lenga Ugaidi na Talanta’. Represenatives from Arigatou International Nairobi, Government of Kenya, Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), GOOGLE, BRAVE, and The Horn International Institute for Strategic Studies attended the program. Other partners that took part in the event included NEXT GEN, Women Against Extremism, Fotton, Impact Amplifier, and Epuka Ugaidi. Children and youth from GNRC Kenya and other child-based organizations also attended the launch.
Lenga Ugaidi na Talanta is an initiative that seeks to channel youth creativity towards countering the violent extremist narrative. This Short Film, Poetry and Music competition targets youth under 35 years in preventing radicalization, violent extremism and terrorism. The first edition of the competition – held in July 2017 – was a great success attracting hundreds of youth across the country under one cause, “To Fight Violent Extremism”.
The Building Resilience Against Violent Extremism (BRAVE), supported by Arigatou International Nairobi and GNRC, has directly impacted thousands of Kenyans, and indirectly, millions since 2015 when it was started, with significant impact on preventing young people from being recruited into violent extremist groups. Both BRAVE and the GNRC support the Lenga Ugaidi na Talanta initiative.
The 2021 competition was officially launched on 16th September 2021 with submissions expected to steam from the East African countries including Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda.
