Over 20 Web influencers have been trained on how to counteract hate speech and ways to promote cameroon’s national symbols.

This was during a one-day workshop took place in Yaounde under the theme “advocacy project for the development of citizens’ consciousness in diversity based on common history and values/symbols of national unity”.

According to the main facilitator of the day, Dr. Sakah Bernard Nsaidzedze, hate speech has been a threat to the national territory’s peace,making it necessary to eradicate derogatory and discriminatory words like anglofous, anglofufu, Bami, froncofous, cam no go as a means to foster national unity.

The facilitator Dr. Sakah Bernard Nsaidzedze a University lecturer and a hate speech activist, recommended some techniques to detect and fight against hate speech online.

Dr. Sakah told Influencers not to share information if they are not sure, fact- check mis/disinformation and fake news, report offensive words to meta social networks (Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram) increase digital awareness against hate speech, take repressive actions against perpetrators and disseminate only positive contents online.

During the last phase of the workshop, participants were given an exercise to come up with proposals on how to counter hate speech and promote national symbols which will preserve values like peace, unity, love, work solidarity.

Participants suggested that sensitisations should be done and the public should be reminded that defaulting of hate speech is a criminal offense and a civil wrong punishable under section 305 of the Pena code with a prison term of six days to six months.

At the end of this seminar, the take home message was detecting hate speech, promoting and preserving Cameroon’s national symbols and values to build a one Cameroon

By Judithpride Nkwanda