In planning to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Maputo Protocol, it became evident that many young people may be unaware of the protocol and its contents since it was created before their birth or when they were toddlers. The IPPFAR social media campaign, titled “Got the Maputo Tea?” stood out as a solution to drive forward the message and the agenda of the Maputo Protocol. This campaign kicked off on 6th July 2023 and concluded on 10th August 2023, and targeted girls aged 20 and thereabouts. The campaign has been a lesson in digital innovation, as it sought to channel the power of social media to raise awareness, ignite conversations and drive engagement with a young target audience. Here’s a quick recap of the campaign.

The Maputo Protocol is a landmark treaty that was adopted by the African Union in 2003. It is the first international human rights treaty to specifically address the rights of women in Africa. The Protocol covers a wide range of issues, including:

• Gender equality and non-discrimination: The Protocol affirms the right of women to be equal to men in all aspects of life, and prohibits all forms of discrimination against women.
• Violence against women: The Protocol defines violence against women and girls, and commits States Parties to take measures to prevent and eradicate all forms of violence against women.
• Sexual and reproductive health and rights: The Protocol recognizes the right of women to sexual and reproductive health and rights, including the right to safe and legal abortion.
• Economic and social rights: The Protocol recognizes the right of women to economic and social rights, including the right to work, the right to education, and the right to health care.

The Maputo Tea Party Event Converging Passion and Purpose

 To kick off the 20th Anniversary of the Maputo Protocol celebration, the Maputo Tea Party Event was held at the IPPFAR office on 6th July 2023. To bring this event to life, IPPFAR staff, partners, social media campaign influencers and vibrant young individuals came together to share information and hold an open discussion on the Maputo Protocol. The event was physically attended by more than 75 participants and featured a panel of 5 stakeholders leading the discussion. Online, through live streaming, another 162 individuals experienced the event. 

University Street Shoot to Nurture Awareness and Spark Conversation

 To celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Maputo Protocol on the 11th of July 2023, the campaign influencers participated in a street shoot targeting students from Strathmore University, Nairobi. The students were prompted with the question “Do you know about the Maputo Tea?” Their responses revealed the varying levels of awareness and opened the door for insightful conversations. A total of 30 students participated and were captured on video. Following their participation, participants were treated to a cup of tea, creating the atmosphere for sharing information and vital insights about the protocol’s profound significance.

Using Technology to Bring Out the African Spirit

Being dynamic on the IPPFAR social media platforms was at the heart of the Got the Maputo Tea campaign. A revolutionary approach of using AI-generated images that seamlessly incorporate African elements while bringing out the African spirit was included in the visual posts. With African women joyfully sharing tea, laughing together or the more solemn facial expressions on some posts, the images resonated with different emotional appeals. These images and their captions were shared across different platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. The posts were designed to reach a diverse audience and drive forth empowering messaging.

Amplifying the Message with Influencer Voices

Central to the campaign’s success were two female influencers, Michelle Brendah and Leslie Muthoni (Anxietities). Through a blend of video narratives and sharing of key visuals, they actively participated in the campaign from inception to culmination. Their contributions helped to foster resonance and connection with their followers across different social media platforms. To create a ripple effect in the communication, a network of 30 nano-influencers also participated in the campaign using Twitter and TikTok as the main platforms. Their active and enthusiastic participation resulted in the campaign hashtag #maputoteaparty trending on the date of the 20th Anniversary celebration, 11th July 2023, on Twitter.

Videos and an Article as Catalysts for Change

For exciting and engaging content creation, videos from the Maputo Tea Party and the University Street Shoot were used to provide educational narratives about the Maputo Protocol. These videos were edited and used as both organic and sponsored posts on social media platforms. The aim of these videos was to offer deeper education to audiences and connect with them on a more emotional level.

An article to kick off the campaign was also featured on the IPPFAR website and shared across its social media pages. To the reading audience, the article helped offer guidance on the campaign’s objectives, activities, and accomplishments.

The "Got the Maputo Tea?" campaign was a success, with over 268,000 views and impressions from social media posts and videos. The campaign also resonated with the young target audience, with over 24,350 likes on social media posts.

As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of this protocol, the "Got the Maputo Tea?" campaign has laid a strong foundation for furthering its aims and ideals. It has proven that creative digital strategy can make human rights issues relatable and inspiring to youth. The passion and dedication of all involved have made this campaign a remarkable success story of using social media for social good. IPPFAR has set a new benchmark for bringing important regional issues to the digital space.