To counter Mis/disinformation and advance media literacy throughout Oromia, #defyhatenow-Ethiopia is establishing a weekly 30-minute radio show in collaboration with the Shashemene branch of Fana Media Corporation. The program, which will air Sundays at 5:30 PM from March to June 2025, will include AFF-ETH Cohort I fellows creating engaging content in Afaan Oromo that will appeal to young people between the ages of 16 and 35. This content will include expert interviews, listener participation segments, and educational debates. This project, which is funded by the EU, makes use of Fana FM 103.4’s audience of over 9 million listeners to enable communities to recognize false information, combat hate speech, and develop critical media consumption practices. Through cooperative local media participation, the initiative emphasizes a shared commitment to building resilient, informed societies.
#defyhatenow in Ethiopia seeks to support those voices acting against the conflict to go ‘viral’ within and outside the country – bringing the diaspora into the online peace building framework, bridging gaps of knowledge and awareness of social media mechanisms between those with access to technology and those without.