UON Academic joins the call for support for the people of Tigray

Date 11.03.2021

Senior Lecturer in Journalism and Media, and former political journalist, Nathan Dodzo, has added his voice to the call for peace in the civil war raging in Ethiopia.

Nathan hosted the UK arm of a global lobbying event, 24 Hours for Tigray, which united efforts across the globe to shine a spotlight on the conflict in Tigray. The event is a poignant call for international support and humanitarian relief for the northern region of Ethiopia, which has been under military attack since the end of 2020.

Hosting the UK’s contribution to the event, Senior Lecturer in Journalism and Media, Nathan Dodzo said: “Having spent years as a political journalist in Africa, I feel it’s important to amplify the voice of the people impacted most by political unrest and conflict, like what we’re seeing unfold in Tigray.

“Despite the increasing brutality of the conflict in Tigray, until now, it has been largely overlooked by the outside world, something I’m keen to change. I’m pleased that through events like 24 Hours for Tigray, attention, and concerns are growing with news of alleged atrocities and a worsening refugee crisis breaking through into the mainstream media around the world.

“We can all support the people who need vital humanitarian support by adding our voices to theirs to bring about change.”

Nathan presented Tigrayan diaspora speakers, and Lord Collins of Highbury, frontbencher on foreign affairs in the Lords, to amplify the voices of Tigrayan communities calling for support.

The lobby event organised by Tigrayan diaspora communities, supported by former Northampton North MP Sally Keeble, and former Africa editor of the World Service Martin Plaut. It aimed to raise awareness of the conflict, and call for humanitarian access, national dialogue, and withdrawal of foreign troops from the region.

Sally Keeble, former Northampton MP said: “This 24 hour lobby showed how to link up communities around the world to campaign for justice for a neglected community. Although I’ve organised similar things before, advances in media technology open up a lot more possibilities. We had teams on the ground around the world identifying people and creating content which then fed into a 24 hour rolling programme that basically all started in Northampton. Nathan’s contribution was really important in making the event a success.”