Peace is Precious

Integrating Ethiopia’s youth into Democratic Processes is a research project managed by Sewit Haileselassie Tadesse (Principal Investigator) and Ali Altiok (CI). On their website Peace is Precious you can find a report and video about young people’s engagement in politics. There is past precedent in Ethiopia for depicting young people’s roles in political protest as a source of violence and political instability. This has led to the stereotyping of all forms of youth dissent as a source of panic and fear. In these outputs, they challenge this (mis) perception by amplifying the voices of young people expressing their dissenting views in nonviolent ways, and peacefully engaging in civic spaces. In doing so, they aim to debunk stereotypes associating youth dissent with violence, and ask what would happen if young people’s views were embraced en route to cultivating a new democratic culture in Ethiopia? You can find out more on their GRNPP page and on their website below.