#BeyondThisLand is a groundbreaking digital campaign rewriting the narrative of disability sports in Africa. By strategically partnering with digital influencers across the continent, the campaign is creating visually compelling stories. That showcase African Paralympic athletes in a new light—one of strength, talent, and ambition. This strategic shift aims to dismantle the charity-driven lens that has long dominated the perception of disability sports in Africa.
This innovative approach is crucial. Despite its immense potential, Africa remains significantly underrepresented in the global disability sports landscape. Outdated narratives continue to prevail, portraying disability sports primarily as development initiatives or charity projects. While the rest of the world is increasingly recognizing disability sports as arenas of fierce competition and athletic excellence.
Disability is not inability
The powerful message of disability sports often remains confined. Within a limited circle of “sports for development” advocates, failing to reach wider audiences. This echo chamber reinforces a narrow perspective, validating existing views rather than challenging deeply ingrained societal norms. While well-intentioned, the prevailing narrative of inspiration and charity risks perpetuating outdated and potentially harmful stereotypes about people with disabilities.
#BeyondThisLand seeks to challenge these deeply ingrained narratives by leveraging the unique potential of digital platforms in Africa. With over 500 million mobile subscribers and rapidly expanding internet penetration. Africa possesses the infrastructure to harness the power of digital tools to reimagine disability sports. The campaign strategically enlists digital influencers from diverse online communities to create engaging content featuring Para athletes.
#BeyondThisLand taking it digital
Through the power of compelling storytelling, #BeyondThisLand aims to engage new audiences and spark broader conversations around disability sports. This approach is distinctly African-led, prioritizing social listening and audience research. Moreover to tailor content that resonates with local cultural contexts and values. By understanding how different audiences engage with disability sports content. The campaign can refine its messaging to reach a wider audience and foster deeper connections.
In the initial phase, the campaign collaborated with Oscar Ogero (Gufy), an influential African poet and travel influencer. To test its approach on a micro-scale. They developed a captivating one-minute storytelling ad that seamlessly integrated narration and visuals. That were familiar to their target audience with footage of African Paralympic athletes. This innovative strategy employs a dual approach: directly engaging audiences with compelling visuals. While simultaneously influencing the algorithms that curate their online feeds.
By strategically launching the campaign during a peak global discussion around the Paralympics, the team aimed to maximize its reach. Increased engagement enhances content visibility and amplifies its impact. As viewers interacting with and sharing the content naturally influence their online networks.
The Paralympics
Consider the Olympics—a global spectacle that captivates audiences far beyond traditional sports enthusiasts. Many viewers are drawn to the Olympics not solely for the sporting events themselves, but for the diverse narratives it unfolds. Stories of Black and ethnic minority athletes breaking barriers. Additionally refugee athletes competing under the Olympic flag, women balancing motherhood and elite competition. While athletes navigating complex intersections of identity, culture, and ability resonate deeply with a wide range of audiences.
This is the power of social media and data-driven engagement. It transcends traditional sports fan bases, making the conversation accessible to a broader audience. The algorithms driving these platforms are designed to maximize engagement by drawing in audiences through their varied interests—whether they relate to race, gender, migration, or social justice. We can effectively leverage these same algorithms and engagement strategies that have propelled global sporting events like the Olympics to trend across diverse demographics to shift the narrative around disability sports in Africa.
If visual storytelling has proven its effectiveness in marketing by shifting mindsets and influencing consumer behavior, why can’t this powerful approach be applied to social impact? For disability sports, the challenge lies not just in increasing visibility, but in fundamentally changing the nature of that visibility. Imagine a world where the dominant image of a person with a disability is not one of neediness or dependence, but one of strength, talent, and unwavering ambition.
This is the vision of the #BeyondThisLand campaign, which can be realized through a strategic, data-driven approach to social media engagement. To truly alter perceptions of disability sports and reshape the entire disability discourse in Africa, we, as players in the sports for development industry, must first reimagine where and how these stories are communicated.
About the Project
The #BeyondThisLand campaign is a collaborative effort with the Malawi Paralympic Committee and the African Union Sports Council Region 5. This initiative is supported by the University of Malawi and Loughborough University as part of the second phase of the AT2030 Para Sport Against Stigma project.
Funded by UK Aid and led by the Global Disability Innovation Hub, AT2030 is dedicated to developing and testing effective strategies for improving access to Assistive Technology.
The first phase of the Para Sport Against Stigma project (2020-2024) was a collaborative endeavor involving Loughborough University, the International Paralympic Committee, and the University of Malawi. Research conducted during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics in Malawi revealed that the event evoked powerful emotions such as joy, amazement, and hope—emotions that directly challenge the fear, pity, and prejudice often associated with disability. By localizing Para sport coverage and storytelling, we can foster deeper engagement and amplify the positive impact of these inspiring stories.
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