Named Youth Advocating for Rights in Nigeria (YARN), the campaign advocates for young people to be allowed to speak freely within the bounds of law without fear of reprisal.
Some young Nigerians have launched a brave and artistic campaign on freedom of expression for citizens of the country.
Named Youth Advocating for Rights in Nigeria (YARN), the campaign advocates for young people to be allowed to speak freely within the bounds of law without fear of reprisal.
‘YARN’, which loosely means ‘talk’ or ‘express’, typifies the essence of the campaign supported by Amnesty International to promote a climate where freedom of expression is not stifled and criminalised in the country.
“With a rising culture of expression, young people have through various conventional and non-conventional means chartered brave paths to finding their voices. From the stretch of limbs in a yoga dance, to the lines of a poetry piece, to the pitch of a musical note, to live feeds from a citizen’s phone and a blogger’s opinion piece, the social media space and other spaces have become useful tools for amplifying youthful voices and stories.
“Every progressive society needs to encourage and promote expression. It forms the bedrock of human participation in every space. Fortunately, under the Nigerian constitution in section 39, the right to freely hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas without interference is guaranteed and meant to be protected and promoted by the state.
“The YARN campaign seeks to promote a climate where freedom of expression is not stifled and criminalized. This campaign advocates for young people to be allowed to speak freely within the bounds of law without fear of reprisal. This campaign drives the idea that every person deserves to YARN freely.
"As freedom of expression continues to face attacks in Nigeria, this campaign is poised to make young Nigerians heroes in their own stories by empowering them to drive the change they want to see in the full respect of freedom of expression in Nigeria. Everyone has a right to YARN. Follow YARN to YARN,” a YARN promoter said.
Twitter: @YarnNigeria
Facebook: @YarnNigeria
Instagram: @YarnNigeria
Please tweet link on Twitter with Hashtag: #MakeWeYarn