Trying to figure out whether you should venture into the world of activism?
I can help you with that.
"Activism is my rent for living on the planet." - Alice Walker
Activism is the policy or action of using vigorous campaigning to bring about political or social change.
Although I aim to capture everybody, my focus will be on being an activist in my home country, Kenya. Activism isn't a rosy term, and it really is for the courageous and strong willed.
I believe that it's important to think things through before taking action, so as to know what lies ahead of someone and if one can handle it. My goal is to help you figure out whether this is a path that you truly want to pursue (and nudge you to get to it).
To get you somewhere, you need to ask yourself the following questions:
1. What are you passionate about?
What cause are you passionate about? What can you take lots of time talking about and get neither tired nor bored?
I'd say that I discovered my niche after constantly watching the news and getting pissed of by the state of corruption in my country and the lack of integrity of our leaders.
According to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Committee, Kenya loses 7.8% of its gross national product (Ksh. 608 billion) to corruption annually! The most recent case of the national government's failure to account for the COVID-19 fund disbursed by WHO was just it. I could go on with the rant (and might possibly write a blog post about it, who knows).
Pick something that absolutely matters to you, because you'll always be motivated to stand up for it.
2. What are your strengths?
This will ultimately lead you to picking which form of activism you would do best in. I don't know about you, but activism always spelt out street protests and demonstrations for me. However, there is more.
Human Rights Careers gives the following types of activism one can engage in:
Demonstrations and protests
From a personal perspective, this is one of the most dangerous yet effective way to demand for change, especially that concerning socio-political change.
By dangerous, I mean that you risk violation of your basic human rights by the police who are supposed to protect you. At least that is true in the local context.
I have witnessed police rough up peaceful demonstrators in the news. The Kenya Police have been criticized for using unnecessary force in dealing with protestors, and it still is a major ailment of our police force.
This type of activism is not viable to people who are living with physical and intellectual impairments.
Boycotts
This best works when a lot of people are on board, and is mainly targeted towards businesses. For my local readers, I give an example of this in Kenya.
Resist! Does that ring a bell? Well, it was the boycott led by the now deceased opposition (shade, lol) against three big corporations (a giant telecommunications company, a big local fast goods manufacturer and a milk processing company) that they were insinuating that were working with the ruling administration (Kiunguyu, 2017).
This is a non-violent demonstration, and can be a power move when people agree to get on board to bring down an organization.
Strikes
It is downing one's tools until the ruling authority agrees to review some policies that are really affecting the people under it. It is a pretty common method of activism.
Letter writing and petitions
For those with excellent writing skills, letter writing is a viable option. It is commonly used by huge organizations like Amnesty International when demanding for justice. Of late, lots of online petitions have been going round (I bet you've signed them), and I can say that they are indeed working in bringing about reforms.
Social media campaigns
This is where most people are involved. Movements like Black Lives Matter and Free Palestine were widely propagated on social media, and many stood in solidarity with these causes from all over the world. All that you require is good intentions and an accurate knowledge base of what's actually happening.
3. How much of a learner are you?
It's a polite way to ask if you are informed. I don't want to use the term "woke".
Do you know your fundamental human rights?
Are you able to see more than meets the eye?
Are you familiar with your country's constitution?
You need to stay in the know by constantly watching the news and being armed with up to date and accurate information.
Speak facts and things you can back up with credible proof.
4. Are you comfortable with the harsh truths with engaging in activism?
The harsh truths could range from possibly endangering your life as well as those of your family members, having a high possibility of facing harassment and infringement of your fundamental human rights, and getting disappointed from time to time when things don't work out.
Are you comfortable with that?
5. Will you be happy with your choices?
At the end of it all, will your decision make you happy? My word of advice is to not ignore the desire to stand up for your rights.
If you had a strong desire in you, if you let it go, it will hurt you.
My parting shot is that it is everyone's responsibility to fight for the rights of those whose rights are being infringed on. Everyone should stand up for the right thing. There is no power like people power, you know.
With that being said, I think you should be an activist and stand up for what you feel is right.
Work with the skills and resources you have, because that is already enough.
I wish you well in that.
Sources
Human Rights Careers. (n.d., n.d. n.d.). 5 Types of Activism. Human Rights Careers: https://www.humanrightscareers.com/issues/types-of-activism/
Kiunguyu, K. (2017, November 21). Resist! The Merits of Boycotts as Non-Violent Forms of Protest. This is Africa.Me. : https://thisisafrica.me/politics-and-society/resist-merits-boycotts-nonviolent-protest/https://thisisafrica.me/politics-and-society/resist-merits-boycotts-nonviolent-protest/