The Voices is a LGBT citizens’ media training initiative with a focus on social media and social change in fostering visibility and advocacy for LGBT rights in Nigeria. It aims to create visibility for the LGBT community through the use of social media, digital photography and blogs for objective reporting on issues of sexual diversity and human rights in Nigeria. The project will conduct 3 day workshop, set up a website for sustainability.
Topical focus:
Country:
What locality or neighborhood will your project focus on?
Lagos
Describe the specific community with whom you will be working.
The project seeks to work with the LGBT communities in Nigeria with a focus on Lagos, the commercial and most populated city in Nigeria. The LGBT community in Nigeria remains underrepresented both online and in their respective physical communities. LGBT people are currently illegal under the currently laws of Nigeria and the senate has passed a bill to further deny and restrict their right to free speech, association and peaceful assembly.
What kinds of news, stories and other content will be created?
The vision for the content of The Voices is to create visibility for the LGBT community in Nigeria and making the LGBT community a political force to be reckoned with within socioeconomic issues in Nigeria. The news and stories will focus on LGBT rights advocacy, rights violations, health and HIV/AIDS, politics, culture, arts and music.
What technologies and digital tools do you plan to use in the trainings?
Describe the connections that you or your organization have already established that will contribute to the success of the project.
Under this project, Queer Alliance will work with international photographer Andrew Esiebo and Social Media Trainer and Feminist, Spectra Speaks and blogger Linda Ikeji. All three persons will be involved in the training of LGBT people in the use of social media, blogging and digital photography in fostering the struggle for equality for LGBT people. All three facilitators are also resident in Nigeria.
How many participants do you think will be involved in your project?
15 participants will be trained on this project. Participants will be recruited through the network of LGBT organizations in Nigeria and also via an online questionnaire. For the sustainability of the project, each participant will be listed on the blog as contributing authors. Queer Alliance will also seek additional funding for the purpose of the project to laying aside a little stipend for stories done by the participants.
Besides the microgrant funding, what other resources and support are you seeking for your project to ensure its success?
Besides the micro-grant funding, additional resources such as a connection to pro-bono website developer will be an added advantage to the project. A digital camera will also be needed, especially towards the production of digital photos for the blogs and website.
Contact name
Rashidi Williams
Organization
Queer Alliance Nigeria