LocationsBeyond the Hashtag: How Tanzania’s Young Creators Are Trending Peace Online
September 9, 2026
Young influencers, content creators and youth leaders participate in the Dumisha Amani II Digital Peacebuilding Training, exploring how digital platforms can be used to promote peace, trust, and social cohesion.
The architecture of influence has changed. Today, ideas travel farther than people, narratives move faster than facts, and a few lines of code quietly shape what millions of people see, believe, and share. Information no longer waits for newspapers or evening broadcasts; It appears instantly on our phones, travelling widely, and often reaching communities before anyone can question its accuracy.
For all that technology has transformed, one question remains deeply human: how do we build trust in spaces where conversations happen without ever meeting face to face?
Across Tanzania, that question is becoming increasingly important. Social media has opened new opportunities for learning, civic participation, entrepreneurship, and connection. But it has also become a space where rumours spread like wildfire, emotions are amplified, and harmful narratives can travel far beyond their point of origin and can cause real world damage. The challenge is no longer whether digital platforms influence society. They already do. The real question is who shapes those conversations—and to what end.
Participants in Mbeya engage in interactive discussions on misinformation, disinformation, and responsible digital engagement, reflecting on the role of content creators in shaping online narratives.
The New Frontline of Peacebuilding
For many young Tanzanians, the answer begins with themselves.
Recognizing that young creatives hold the keys to online culture, UNDP Tanzania partnered with the President's Office – Youth Development and with support from the United Nations Peace and Development Trust Fund (UNPDF), to bring together 117 of the country’s most active digital voices. Hailing from Mbeya, Songwe, Mwanza, and Geita, this group wasn’t your typical boardroom crowd. It included viral comedians, local journalists, tourism promoters, sports commentators, music producers and visual artists.
Through the Dumisha Amani II Project, these influencers gathered for a hands-on Digital Peacebuilding Training to unpack exactly why digital dialogue matters. The sessions were led collaboratively by UNDP experts across Enabling Environment Portfolio, Communications and Partnerships teams, ensuring a deeply practical and well-rounded approach to navigating the internet safely and responsibly.
Looking Past the Metrics
The training challenged participants to look beyond their daily grind of audience reach and engagement metrics. Instead, they were encouraged to reflect on the broader responsibility that comes with shaping online conversations. Every post, caption, livestream, meme or video has the potential to do more than entertain. It can either reinforce stereotypes or challenge them; it can fuel misunderstandings or encourage dialogue. It can deepen division or remind people of their shared humanity. Throughout the programme, participants were encouraged to reflect on the choices they make every time they publish content and the responsibility that comes with reaching thousands of people online.
“Before this, I just posted my music to get views and promote my tracks,” shared Abby Vanny a singer and music producer from Geita. “Now I realise my platform is a community. We actually have the power to change how people talk to each other online, just by setting a better tone ourselves.”
Throughout the workshops, participants unpacked the differences between misinformation, disinformation, and mal-information using real-life examples that mirrored the digital spaces they navigate every day. They also explored conflict-sensitive communication, responsible storytelling, and practical approaches to developing counter-narratives that encourage dialogue rather than division. They debated how quickly false information can spread during moments of uncertainty, examined how language can unintentionally reinforce bias, and explored practical ways of responding to harmful narratives without amplifying them further.
Through practical exercises and peer learning, youth leaders develop skills to create content that encourages dialogue, understanding, and responsible digital engagement.
Building the Campaigns: #AmaniInaanzaNaMimi and #PeaceNaWana
Some of the most meaningful and electric moments of the workshop happened when the influencers were put to the test. Divided into working in groups, participants were handed real world crisis scenarios and analysed social media posts, challenged assumptions, rewrote divisive messages into constructive ones, and explored how storytelling can transform differences into opportunities for understanding. The conversations were honest, sometimes challenging, but ultimately meaningful. In a space where different perspectives could be shared openly, participants came to appreciate that building peace online does not begin with having all the answers. It begins with a willingness to listen, reflect, and engage with empathy.
The creativity in the room was immediate. The groups brainstormed campaign strategies anchored by catchy, community driven hashtags like #AmaniInaanzaNaMimi (Peace starts with me) and #PeaceNawana (Peace with the youth).
A comedian from Mwanza explained her group’s strategy – “Humor naturally brings people together. We wanted a campaign that didn’t feel like a boring lecture. Our strategy uses comedy sketches to show that people can disagree on important issues, still respect each other and share a laugh at the end of the day."
From Digital Skills to Digital Stewardship
What emerged over the course of the training was a different understanding of influence. Influence is not measured only by views, likes, or followers. It is reflected in the quality of conversations people create, the trust they build with their audiences, and the responsibility they demonstrate when difficult moments unfold online. For many participants, that shift in perspective became one of the programme's most valuable lessons.
The training also created something less visible but equally important—a growing network of young digital leaders connected by a shared commitment to promoting respectful dialogue. Participants exchanged ideas across regions, learned from one another's experiences, and began building relationships that extend well beyond the training room.
These connections matter. Peace is rarely built through individual action alone. It grows through collaboration, shared responsibility, and a willingness to engage with people whose experiences and perspectives may be different from our own.
Empowered with new skills and a shared purpose, participants are ready to champion responsible digital engagement across Tanzania.
From Training to Action: Rolling Out the Strategy
To answer the critical question of what comes next, these draft strategies are now being consolidated into a targeted youth-led social media campaign. Rather than generic messaging, the campaign will be highly specific to the audiences these influencers command.
Over the coming months, the influencers will roll out coordinated content under their new hashtags. This will include:
• Myth busting Reels: Short, engaging videos where creators break down common local rumors or fake news using humor and facts.
• “Pass the Mic” Live Streams: Joint Instagram an TikoTok live sessions between influencers from different regions (e.g. Mwanza and Mbeya) to model constructive dialogue and unity across regional lines.
• Community Pledges: Encouraging followers to adopt the #AmaniInaanzaNaMimi, #PeaceNaWana or any other approved hashtag in their own bios or posts as a pledge to verify information before hitting “share.”
What emerged from these sessions was a completely shifted understanding of influence. It is no longer just about the numbers of followers a person has, but the quality of the conversations they create. Through their upcoming campaigns, these 117 young digital stewards are proving that they are not just shaping the algorithm, they are actively building a more peaceful Tanzania.
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