Call for entries: Storytelling contest for young Africans

YouthHubAfrica is an online community that seeks to create a platform for young people involved in social change to interact, learn and collaborate in new ways.

The contest is being held with support from the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation. It targets young creatives, bloggers, artists and storytellers on the continent to use their existing platforms and expressions to advocate for the elimination of FGM in Africa. The competition will reward the winners with up to $5 000.

The application deadline is 12 November.

Eligibility

The call is open to:

• Young Africans aged 18 to 35.
• Young people in all African countries.
• Young girls and persons living with disabilities, who are strongly encouraged to participate.

Categories

• Audio entries: Pieces of original music, poetry, narrative or speech, etc. (5 minutes maximum length).
• Video entries: Short movies, vlogs, mini-documentaries, etc. (5 minutes maximum length)
• Digital art or infographic images: Drawings, animations, comics, photos, posters, collages, etc.
• Text: Prose, blogs, poetry, reports, etc (maximum of 1 500 words)

“Female genital mutilation is a violation of human rights, a form of gender-based violence and a public health challenge,” the organisers of the contest said. “It is mainly performed on girls between infancy and the age of 15, although women are also subjected to this practice. Often practised as a cultural/traditional right of passage, FGM has no beneficial effect on health and denies girls and women the right to control their sexuality.”

View the original call here.