Training Day Poster

Training Day: Directed by Tolu Ajayi. With Eze Blessing, Efua Bona, Nnamani Chidera, Agbanaya Damilola. Training Day is a short film based on Paradigm Initiative's 2019 Digital Rights in Africa report, featuring the story of a young man whose quest for work took an unexpected turn. The essence of the story is to translate the technical jargon into easy-to-digest information for various audiences that can then use the research output as advocacy input. The movie gives an in-depth analysis of the state of digital rights in Africa, and examines violations such as Internet disruptions, illegal surveillance, arrest of bloggers and the passage of hurtful legislation, amongst others. In the movie, the actors are trying to explain how African countries are now adopting repressive models of Informational controls borrowed from authoritarian regimes such as Russia and China - a worrying signal which forebodes ill for the future of open and inclusive societies in Africa. This happens through a motley of targeted shutdowns, surveillance, arbitrary legislation to silence digital users. African nations are becoming adept at controlling information both inside and outside their borders. Digital rights have become increasingly contested in Africa, with rights-limiting legislation, Internet shutdowns and other violations regularly headlining international media reporting. The 2019 Digital Rights in Africa Report investigates and documents these violations, serving as a body of evidence for advocacy for greater digital rights. In the fight against digital rights violations in Africa, civil society must persevere and use all the tools at their disposal, including research, to ensure that digital rights become respected and upheld.