26 year old, John Chiamama’s voice carries through with rhythm and rhyme. He is a poet, a writer, a DJ and a future producer, and he has a social mission to inspire the youth of Nigeria and combat social ills. John, popularly known by his stage name, Mindsmith, is also a practicing psychologist. In May 2020, he collaborated with media creator and video editor Godswill Ezeonyeka, to participate in a UNESCO Abuja-led aimed to empower young women and men in Nigeria to control the flow of COVID-19 related mis- and dis-information.
John Chiamama & Godswill Ezeonyeka
In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, UNESCO Abuja conducted a to examine the social pulse and evaluate the impact of infodemic on communities across Nigeria. Over 65% of the respondents encountered mis- and dis-information spread through social media. Many expressed confusion on information sourcing, fact checking as well as the understanding of their role in the efforts to stop the spread of misinformation about COVID-19.
Fusing poetry with inspiring imagery and healing music in what Mindsmith calls “TheraPoetry” or therapy through poetry, the two artists crafted a jingle full of empowering messages countering misinformation, all against a backdrop of fleeting images of popular social media platforms. Mindsmith’s deep vocals weaves it all together to inspire young people to take charge.
After spending time with young groups in their communities, looking for tools and creative messages to empower young people to take charge, the duo built their concept on the pillars of empowerment and shared responsibility. Their jingle, which came in the top three during the competition, picks on the thread that starts with an individual action, which spreads to the family and ripples out to create positive change in the whole community.
“Don’t share it, just because you hear it.
Don’t share it, just because you fear it.
Don't share it, if you can’t swear it.”
UNESCO launched the campaign as part of the Media and Information Literacy Programme as a prerequisite for citizens to recognize their rights to freedom of information and expression for informed decisions. Through the programme, UNESCO supports a deeper understanding of the functions of media, and helps empower citizens to critically evaluate media content and to make informed decisions, whether as consumers of information, or as creators and producers of media content.
The Call for Jingles Campaign winners were announced during a webinar held on Tuesday, 30 June 2020, under the theme, “”. Over 350 participants were in attendance, with Honorable Ministers of Youth in Nigeria and Sierra Leone as special guests at the event.
And the tip of his guitar was peeking tall behind him, a promise of more creative initiatives to come.
