Addis Ababa, 1st December, 2022: Leading Pan African digital rights and inclusion organization, Paradigm Initiative (PIN) has exclusively premiered its short film christened Finding Diana on the sidelines of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Ethiopia.
The movie, which is inspired by PIN’s 2021 Digital Rights and Inclusion Report- Londa, was watched yesterday night by delegates who are attending the IGF, which is currently ongoing in Addis Ababa, the capital city of the Horn of Africa nation. The report highlights the state of digital rights and inclusion in 22 African countries. This is the third movie the organization is producing, with the other two being Training Day and Focus.
Londa 2021 examines privacy, freedom of expression, access to information, segmentation and execution, digital transformation, affordability, gender and others within existing legislative frameworks and against the backdrop of a widening digital divide.
It also assesses the state of digital rights and inclusion on the continent and provides recommendations on what each country must do to move towards realizing gains that rights-respecting and inclusive digital practices bring. Besides providing recommendations, the report also highlights gaps existing in the featured African countries.
Speaking at the event, Mr. ‘Gbenga Sesan, PIN’s Executive Director, emphasized the need to observe digital rights on the continent and to increase awareness about them among state and non-state actors. “It is crucial to increase awareness among citizens, media, private sector, civil society groups and state agencies which include law enforcement, the judiciary, legislature and communications regulators,” he said.
Mr. Mesud Gebeyehu, Executive Director Consortium of Ethiopian Human Rights Organizations (CEHRO) lauded PIN’s move to use short films to advocate for digital rights and also stressed the need for collaboration on such efforts amongst like-minded institutions.
The 2021 Londa Report indicates that to date, progress has been slow across the continent in implementing ICT development strategies as governments demonstrate a lack of urgency in implementing laws or policies related to digitalization.
PIN annually monitors the environment, documents violations, and reports on the state of digital rights and inclusion in Africa. The title of the report, which emanates from Zulu origin, echoes a call for action to protect or defend the digital rights and inclusion environment in Africa.
Paradigm Initiative (PIN) works to connect underserved young Africans with digital opportunities, and ensures protection of their rights. The organization has worked in communities across Nigeria since 2007, and across Africa from 2017, building experience, community trust and an organizational culture that positions it as a leading social enterprise in ICT for Development and Digital Rights on the continent.
Across our regional offices in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Zambia, Zimbabwe and beyond, we work to connect under-served African youth with improved livelihoods through our digital inclusion and digital rights programs. Our programs include Life Skills. ICT. Financial Readiness. Entrepreneurship (LIFE) training program, Dufuna, a digital readiness workshop for girls and life at school club program.
PIN has also built online platforms that educate and serve as safe spaces for the reporting of digital rights violations. These mediums, in the form of reports, short films, and educational online platforms, include Ayeta, Londa and Ripoti.
Paradigm Initiative is also the convener of the Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum (DRIF), a pan-African bilingual Forum that has held annually since 2013.
