ESFA organize a workshop on Combating Misinformation in Times of COVID-19 in Cameroon
Though the national and international authorities have put in place legal and institutional framework to prevent misinformation, sanctioned perpetrators and also promote peaceful coexistence in times of peace and crisis, misinformation has continued to be a social ill of concern to the global community.
The COVID-19 pandemic with its numerous consequences on the economic and social life of every nation has been seen to be more difficult to combat as a result of misinformation among Individuals, institutions and nations.
Efforts put in place to combat the spread of COVID-19 pandemic have massively been slowed down by the spread of misinformation especially in relation to vaccination.
The Ethical and Sustainable Future for All has been contributing in one way or the other in combating misinformation through online and offline campaigns.
Funded by Global Youth Mobilization, Ethical and Sustainable Future for All (ESFA) has been carrying out sensitization campaigns online and organizing community mobilization on issues relating to fighting misinformation in times of Covid-19 in Cameroon. On 22 October 2022, ESFA organized a one day workshop in Buea, the South West Region of Cameroon on combating misinformation in times of covid-19. The workshop brought together at least 30 students and members of civil society organizations from within Buea.
Introducing the workshop, Mr. Wemba Miracle, our humanitarian coordinator and a PhD research student in the University of Buea gave a brief description of the project which we have been implementing since April 2022. He emphasized that Misinformation has been normalized by community members and that now is the time for members of Civil Society Organizations and students to change the narrative.
The Founder and CEO of ESFA, Berinyuy Cajetan gave a welcoming address and thank the Global Youth Mobilization for funding the project, His staff of ESFA, the two partner organizations; Association for Women’s Empowerment and Peace Education (AWEPE) and Centre for Sustainability and Equality (CESE). He also thank the president of the Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in Africa, Barrister Agbor Nkgongho for accepting to host the event.
According to the first presenter, Doctor Ticha Muluh Ngwe Sonnet the government of Cameroon have put in place measures ranging from preventive measures including vaccination to provision of responsive resources including special hospital facilities. During her presentation which was focused on epidemiology causes, clinical manifestation, prevention and vaccination, Covid-19 Myth, she reiterated that there are different types of COVID-19 vaccines in Cameroon and that each vaccine comes with its specificity. A concern was raised by participants on whether some medicines are more preferable than others, answering to the worry, Doctor Muluh Reassures the participants that for now, there is no scientific research that shows that one vaccine is preferable than others. She also outline four vaccines that the Cameroon government have approved for it to be used, that is Sinopharm, AstraZeneCa, America’s Johnson and Johnson and Russia’s Spoutnik V. She further explained that the management of COVID-19 outbreak varies from Country to country while giving the example how China managed the prevention of COVID-19 is different from how Cameroon manages its own according to severity.
Speaking on the legal implications of Misinformation in Cameroon, the second resource person, Mr Awah Rumarick, a PhD Researcher in Law, stated that misinformation in Cameroon is punishable by law while stating some laws including the 2014 Anti-Terrorism Law, the Cameroon Penal Code and Criminal Code. Mr. Awah Rumaric also highlighted some accurate platforms including the World Health Organization’s websites (https://www.who.int/), the website of the Ministry of Public Health in Cameroon (https://www.minsante.cm/site/?q=en) etc. He also gave an example of Cameroonian youths who were charged and sent to jail (https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2021/12/cameroon-release-of-students-sentenced-for-10-years-for-sharing-joke-on-boko-haram-is-a-great-relief/) for alleged spreading of misinformation under the 2014 Anti-Terrorism Law.
The third presenter, Miss Falon Kongyuy, a practicing medical nurse, presented on the prevention of Cholera which is fast spreading in Cameroon and especially in the South West Region of the country. While presenting, she traced that hygiene is primary in the prevention of Cholera just like COVID-19. She created an awareness to participants that there is an ongoing vaccination campaign against the spread of cholera in Buea and Cameroon in general. She advised participants to try by all possible means and be vaccinated against cholera. She reiterated that the workshop should be an eye opener for youths to carry the sensitization on how to prevent cholera to their various communities. On the question on how to receive vaccination against cholera in Buea, she directed participants to always visit public health centers for vaccination.
Mr Bochum Samuel, peace advocate and Cameroon Commonwealth Youth Ambassador, while speaking to the participants, reiterated on the need for peaceful coexistence while combating misinformation especially in crisis times. He stated that hate speech has cause a lot of crisis and youths should be able to lead in efforts towards combating hate speech in their various communities.
Given that there is low COVID-19 vaccination in Cameroon especially in the armed conflict-affected areas, misinformation has been the order of the day by some internet users in the country. The population has been shied away from taking vaccines due to social media influence. The conspiracy theories including from religious groups against COVID-19 vaccination has limited the number of persons who are willing to take vaccination against the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, there is a strong conspiracy theory that the COVID-19 vaccination is an invented disease to destroy people. Examples of conspiracy theories include “COVID was created as a biological weapon” “Blaming 5G”
Our project aims to educate the communities through online and offline campaigns on the importance of keeping or respecting the measures put in place by the world health organisation and or being vaccinated against the spread of COVID-19. ESFA will also educate or sensitize the population on the practical measures put in place by the Cameroon government and World Health Organisation to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
