GHANA- Wednesday, August 5, 2020/– Trans4orm Network Ghana is set to start campaigns to enhance anti-violence campaigns in the Volta and Oti regions through music.
The campaign will be held in collaboration with the Stars of Volta, comprising 15 musicians in the Volta and Oti regions, the National Peace Council, West Africa Network for Peace building (WANEP) and other stakeholders.
The campaign is aimed at using musical performances of songs composed purposely for ensuring peaceful elections and also targeting the youth on social media with anti-electoral violence messages.
Speaking exclusively to African Post Online and explaining the importance of enhancing anti violence campaigns in the Volta and Oti regions, Founder and Chair of Trans4orm Ghana’s Advisory Board, Mr. Vincent Azumah, noted that there are already warning signs of violence in these regions that can be attributed to past political happenings and events characterized by the June-August 2020 voter registration exercise.
“In the 2012 General elections, the NDC won 734,641 representing 85.47% of the presidential votes in the Volta Region whilst the NPP won 111,149 (12.93%). In the 2016 elections however, the NDC’s votes reduced to 629,398 representing 80.97% whilst the NPP increased its presidential votes to 135,077, representing 17.8%. The NDC ascribes the inability of their supporters to come out to vote as the reason for the loss of grounds and are doing everything possible to get their voters to register and vote. The NPP on the other hand thinks, they gained grounds because they were able to prevent NDC’s “foreign” and ghost voters.
The NPP is therefore keen in enhancing measures to prevent people they regard as foreigners and ghost voters in the 2020 General elections in the Volta and Oti Regions. “This is a clear recipe for conflict and violence which has already been witnessed in the on-going voters’ registration exercise where a number of prospective registrants have been described as foreigners”, he said.
Mr. Vincent Azumah further noted that, in the “fourth phase of the new voter registration exercise alone, 768 challenge actions have been filed in the Oti and Volta Regions alone. He added that these were “challenges that could turn violent”.
Trans4orm Network, Ghana and its allies therefore have embarked on their education and rallying of partners early enough to ensure poor vulnerable youth are not recruited to cause mayhem before, during and after the 2020 General elections.
“Currently there is no early response strategy or mechanism in the Volta and Oti Regions apart from the one offered by the NPC, the Police and the state led election task force. Unfortunately, whilst the NPC which is well placed to lead grounded response strategies is poorly resourced, the other state structures are only noted for responding when the violence has already occurred”. This he said has increased the vulnerabilities leaving the Volta and Oti regions vulnerable to escalation of violence before, during and after the 2020 elections.
He explained that the “Preventing Electoral Violence through Music and Social Media” project is designed to use the charm of arts through music and the pervasiveness of social media to reach and change the attitudes of the youth, media and also attract the attention of leaders and potential leaders to respect norms and practices that enhance peaceful co-existence before, during and after elections.
The project also seeks to enhance the NPC’s campaign against the use of vigilante groups during electioneering process.
Artistes from the Volta and Oti have composed songs and seek to perform them in all districts to change violent behaviors of the youth and politicians who may want to perpetrate violence.
The musical concerts would be open to only invited guests, who will respect COVID-19 protocols. The invited persons will include leadership of political parties and their youth wings in the districts and the regions, football and cultural drumming and dancing clubs, Chiefs and Queen mothers, the security agencies, identified youth groups, Okada riders, NCCE, EC, CHRAJ, DISEC, District and Municipal Chief Executives, women’s groups, clergy, the media and other stakeholders. The concerts and all the peace messages that would be shared by all stakeholders will be recorded and played back on selected TV and Radio stations;
He also noted that “appropriate and powerful peace statements made at the concerts will be designed in short and catchy social media messages and shared widely among youth groups and stakeholders in the region and nationwide. Videos of the songs will also be shared on social media to ensure the messages in the songs reach wider society”.
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