A Report on Lenga Ugaidi Na Talanta Competition Winner s Gala that was held on 11 th July 2017 at the Norfolk Hotel

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1 Center for Sustainable Conflict Resolution (CSCR), 50, Riverside Drive, P. O. Box , Nairobi Tel: , braveprogram.org, A Report on Lenga Ugaidi Na Talanta Competition Winner s Gala that was held on 11 th July 2017 at the Norfolk Hotel Report prepared by Sh. Ramadhan Aula Associate Director, Centre for Sustainable Conflict Resolution and BRAVE member

2 BACKGROUND Radicalisation of youth and subsequent recruitment by Violent Extremists Organizations (VEOs) is not new in Kenya. Al-Shabaab, the foremost VEO in the Horn of Africa has killed many people in the region, caused a lot of suffering and pain. In Kenya, the youth, irrespective of their religious affiliation and ethnic background, have been approached by al-shabaab and ISIS recruiters who capitalise on their social, economic and political susceptibility to lure them into joining these groups. The current wave of radicalisation in Kenya is a great concern vis a vis the security in the country. Indeed, if the extremist ideologies are to be starved of recruits (especially the youth), more support is required for the youth through various activities targeting them and vocational trainings. In accord with its mission and objectives, the Centre for Sustainable Conflict Resolution/BRAVE in partnership with National Counter Terrorism Centre as well as other partners, Epuka Ugaidi, Nuvision and Nailab came up with the competition dubbed Lenga Ugaidi Na Talanta. The competition sought to promote fight against al-shabaab and other VEOs through film and storytelling. The organizations invited youth to take part in the competition guided by three broad themes: youth responsibility in Countering Violent Extremism (CVE), the changing face of terrorism and faith based institutions and communities. REQUIREMENTS AND PARTICIPANTS This competition was focused on the youth under the age of 30 years. Participants were supposed to create short films/clips of not more than five minutes focusing on the highlighted themes. The films or clips would then be forwarded to CSCR/BRAVE offices or sent via . The competition ran from April to June, The objectives of the project are as follows: Allow the youth to spearhead the counter-radicalization conversation through talent/art in their own language and understanding, thus allow greater receptivity Engage the youth actively in the fight against radicalization, violent extremism and terrorism as it has been traditionally by the Government, NGO s and Religious institutions Create awareness and initiate continuous conversation by the youth on Al Shabaab recruitment LENGA UGAIDI NA TALANTA WINNERS SELECTION This section presents the verdict of the panellists who participated in the selection of the best videos of the competition. The competition was a short films competition that was organized and sponsored by BRAVE programme together with other partners, 2 P a g e

3 Epuka Ugaidi, Nuvision and Nailab between May 2017 and July The work of the BRAVE panel was to select top five out of the 18 videos selected from many other entries. The following were members of the panel that participated in voting: NAME POSITION ORGANIZATION 1. Dr. Mustafa Y. Ali Chairman/Convenor CSCR/BRAVE 2. Sh. Ibrahim Lethome Chairman BRAVE Reference Committee 3. Sh. Ramadhan Aula Director/PM CSCR/BRAVE 4. Mr. Daniel Iberi Communications Officer HORN Institute 5. Mr. Abdul Swamad Alawi Programme Officer BRAVE 6. Mr. Ian Mwenda Research Assistant HORN Institute 7. Ms. Janice Sanya Research Assistant HORN Institute 8. Ms. Asia Ali Intern HORN Institute 9. Ms. Angela Senaji Intern HORN Institute Every participant was requested to watch and then rate each clip out of five independently and later give a justification for their mark. Key parameters for selection included creativity and the message in the videos. Subsequently, an average was done and the winners were determined. WINNERS GALA The welcome remarks were given by Sh. Ramadhan Aula (BRAVE) who was also the MC of the day. After a word of prayer, there was a moment of silence in honour of the late Interior Cabinet Secretary Major General Joseph Ole Nkaissery. After acknowledging the presence of guests and guests of honour, the MC invited Wesley Nyonze, the youngest entrant (13 years) in the competition to entertain the guests and participants. Khadija Mohamed then narrated the True Islam Monologue before Maseno University students crowned it all with a song and play. Mustafa Y. Ali, PhD After the entertainment, the MC invited Dr. Mustafa Y. Ali (BRAVE) to give his remarks. Dr. Mustafa noted that radicalisation and recruitment into violent extremist organisations is still thorn in the flesh in Kenya. He further noted that all the stakeholders must come together to address this issue before it implodes. He highlighted reasons why youth join al-shabaab, key among them unemployment which drives them to desperation, frustration, and at times, depression. Tangible promises, a feeling of belonging, and being heard are other reasons why youth could be joining al-shabaab in Kenya. 3 P a g e

4 Kimani, Martin (Amb. Dr.) Dr. Mustafa then invited Amb. Dr. Martin Kimani, the director National Counter Terrorism Centre to give his speech. Dr. Kimani stated that the war on terrorism was political in nature and it was imperative to approach it from a political aspect. For instance, he urged all the stakeholders present to have a comprehensive understanding of the motivations of the terrorists. In doing this, it would be a great opportunity to learn what drives and then effectively counter it in the best possible means. Dr. Kimani used the narrative of the colonialists to explicate the motivations of terrorists organizations. He further stated that these groups aim is to subdue its subjects politically, rendering the country ungovernable. He also thanked the organizers of the competition for taking the first step in addressing radicalisation and recruitment by engaging the youth productively. Eileen Mola (Representing the Inspector General) The MC then invited Eileen Mola, a Senior Sergeant in the office of the Inspector General, who read the Inspector General s speech on his behalf. The IG was grateful for having been invited to the launch. He thanked the organizers for devoting their resources to such a noble cause at a time when the country was reeling from sporadic attacks by al-shabaab and radicalisation. He acknowledged that indeed radicalization of the youth is on the rise and there was need to address it before it escalated further. After Mola s remarks, the MC invited the guests of honour to the podium to announce the winners and award them: Judges Award/Winner (kshs. 500,000/=) Hussein Yusuf 1 st Runners Up (kshs. 250,000/=) Justin Maroa 2 nd Runners Up (kshs. 100,000/=) Dennis Nderitu Young Entrant Award Wesley Nyonze VOTE OF THANKS Fatma Ali Saman (BRAVE member) Fatma Ali Saman gave a vote of thanks citing the significance of the occasion. She noted that there is need to focus more on radicalisation and recruitment because they are the precursors to violent extremism. After the closing prayers by Sh. Lethome, the guests took a group photo with the winners and left at their own pleasure. 4 P a g e

5 ANNEX 1: Winners Yussuf Hussein-Winner of Lenga Ugaidi Na Talanta Competition Justin Maroa- 1 st Runners Up of Lenga Ugaidi Na Talanta Competition 5 P a g e

6 Dennis Nderitu- 2 nd Runners Up of Lenga Ugaidi Na Talanta Competition ANNEX 2: Winners and other participants Some of the participants who took part in the competition 6 P a g e