Stemming the tide of dangerous speech and dehumanisation, building a peaceful society

BY OLA BARNABAS

“Dogs”, “Animals”, “Shithole”, “Cockroaches”, “Wacky”, “Not smart”, “Niggas”, and so on. These are ugly words to use on anyone. You know what makes them uglier? That it comes from the mouths of leaders or people of influence whose utterances or opinions can cause others to act in certain ways that will leave the society making up for the damages many years after. These are the same leaders who should act to keep flaring tempers under control, calm frayed nerves and be highly diplomatic. To know that they are the ones stoking fear and hate is extremely concerning.

Dangerous speech is defined by The Dangerous Speech Project as “any form of expression (speech, text, or images) that can increase the risk that its audience will condone or participate in violence against members of another group.” Dehumanisation, on the other hand, implies perceiving other people to be less than humans, and in many cases, referring to or treating them as such. In research works carried out by Beyond Conflict, an organisation responsible for building bridges between humans for over 29 years in about 75 countries and Peace Initiatives Network, a leading peacebuilding organisation in Nigeria for over 10 years, it is evident that there is a direct correlation between dangerous speech, dehumanization and violence.

A cursory look at the violence that has greeted nations over the years will reveal the role that dangerous speech and dehumanisation played at the foundation level. In 1994, the Hutus used anti-Tutsi radio broadcasts to make dangerous and dehumanising speeches. At one time the group referred to the other as “cockroaches”. You know the outcome right? The Rwanda genocide remains a dark cloud over that country, forever leaving almost a million people dead. In Nigeria, post-election violence left over 800 people dead in 2011, according to Human Rights Watch. One of the major contestants had said “the dog and the baboon will get soaked in blood” if the elections were rigged. In a video that went viral during that time, the word “kill” appeared to have been used “if anyone stops you”. That election has the unenviable record of one of the bloodiest in the nation’s history. More recently, in what appears to be a first of its kind, Capitol Hill in the US was invaded after the former President made an inciting statement, and had used dangerous speech throughout his presidency against members of the other party, and even his own vice-president.

Gadaffi was quoted to have called some people cockroaches and animals in an episode that didn’t end well for those people. King Goodwill Zwelithini of Zulu in South Africa once made a dangerous statement that incited the people of South Africa against Nigerians and other Africans living in South Africa. The then-President Jacob Zuma, instead of admitting his inability to create jobs for his people, also supported the king by saying there are not enough jobs in the country because of the other Africans that have come to take over all the jobs and marry the beautiful Southern Africa women. The result of that was the xenophobic attacks that eventually left their toll on Nigerians and other foreign nationals in that country. Clearly, the relationship between the three – dangerous speech, dehumanisation and violence, cannot be over-emphasised. Good news is, the Beyond Conflict/PIN research also shows that it’s possible to change this narrative.

In commemoration of this year’s International Day of Living in Peace, we all need to know that what we say or don’t say, what we do or refuse to do, can add to the throes of our present world. The world is bleeding and the haemorrhage continues even without anyone adding any more dangerous or dehumanising speech. I think it all boils down to one thing: What will you be remembered for? We all will be remembered for at least one thing: what we did for humanity when we lived. If politicians, traditional rulers, prominent personalities, thought and opinion leaders and all classes of those with varying authority and influence work with this consciousness, we will have far fewer people perpetrating violence and much more people working for a peaceful society.

What can you do? Yes, you – an ordinary citizen like me too. You can help straighten the thoughts and actions of a person prone to violence or actually participating in violent living and help bring accountability. By your counsel, actions and even way of life, you can become an example to that person and model a peaceful life to them. You can embark on a peaceful campaign in your community – the schools, worship centres, in groups and associations and other places.

Why should you do this? First, you do not have rest in a society that lacks peace. You do not have a vision that you can work towards if peace takes back seat in your community. Never forget that a society that lacks peace lacks fertility. You cannot raise a happy family or children who are not influenced by these anti-societal behaviours if you play no part in building that society. You probably cannot sleep with both eyes closed if violence is on duty in your community.

You need more reasons to get involved? Think of your loved ones or people you know who might be caught up in violence. If you are able to escape, what about them? What else can you do to stem the tide of violence in Nigeria, arrest the spate of dehumanisation and help re-humanise our society? You can volunteer to join and participate in this campaign. You can share your experiences and thoughts on this, and help spread the word about the need for peace on all social media by adding the hashtag #RehumanizeNigeria. You can sign the      pledge to not contribute to dehumanisation and use of dangerous speech and to help build a peaceful Nigeria. Let’s join hands together to stem the tide of dangerous speech and dehumanisation, and build a peaceful Nigeria.

Barnabas is a public affairs analyst, nation builder and peace advocate. He writes from Kano, Nigeria.