Social Fabric: Promoting literacy through fashion and arts

In December 2023 MERSA Media Institute, with the support of Fojo, gathered hundreds of young people at a festival of fashion and colour to spread knowledge about media literacy and disinformation through culture and communal gathering around the creative arts.

Using fashion, art, dance and dialogue, the topics of disinformation and media literacy were made to come alive. Watch the video to hear more about the event.

Nearly 300 young people attended the colourful and inspirational day. Three tailor made booths focused on social dialogue and civic engagement using “coffee ceremony” as a method for discussion. Thematic areas included: hate speech, decoding contents and eyewitness accounts. The festival had several components that collectively contributed to creating an enriching environment for youth engagement, creativity, and learning, ultimately working towards the broader objective of mitigating the impacts of information disorder on social cohesion, trust, tolerance, and peace in Ethiopia. Watch this short clip on Facebook posted by MERSA Media Institute.