Counter-Narrative Campaigns

A research-driven project combating misinformation and manipulation on Indonesian social media by empowering users with critical thinking skills to navigate complex information environments and resist propaganda during elections.

A UNESCO campaign launched in April 2020 that crowdsourced culturally relevant, openly licensed creative content from African artists—songs, dances, and visual art—to combat COVID-19 misinformation in local languages. Over 400 artists from 36 African countries participated, including Ugandan star Bobi Wine whose 'Corona Virus Alert' song went viral.

Average Mohamed is a counter-extremism cartoon series created by Mohamed Ahmed, a Somali-American gas station manager in Minneapolis. The cartoons target youth aged 8-16 with messages of peace, democracy, and anti-extremism, using Islamic theology to rebut extremist interpretations. Ahmed voices the cheerful Average Mohamed character himself, producing low-budget videos (USD 1,000-3,000 each) that directly respond to ISIS and al-Shabaab propaganda. The series includes videos like Flames of Hell (rebutting ISISs Flames of War) and has reached hundreds of thousands via YouTube. Ahmed conducts outreach in schools, mosques, and madrasas across Minneapolis - a city that has seen more Americans attempt to join ISIS than any other US location.