Lizu Community Network proudly celebrates the participation of our Team Lead, Misheck Cheleka, as a speaker at the Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum 2025 (DRIF25), held at the Mulungushi Conference Centre in Lusaka, Zambia.
Organized by Paradigm Initiative, this year’s DRIF carried the transformative theme: “Promoting Digital Ubuntu in Approaches to Technology.” It was a call to reimagine the digital landscape through the lens of Ubuntu — a philosophy rooted in shared humanity, compassion, and collective responsibility. Over several days, the forum brought together digital rights advocates, policymakers, technologists, and grassroots leaders to explore how African values can guide ethical and inclusive technology development.
Voicing Community Realities on the Continental Stage
Lizu Community Network through our team Lead, Misheck Cheleka contributed to two dynamic sessions that addressed some of the most pressing challenges facing digital inclusion and accountability in Africa today.
Session 1 – April 29, 2025
“Digital Trust and Accountability in the Age of Government Surveillance in Africa”
This conversation highlighted the urgent need to balance national security with the protection of civil liberties. We emphasized the erosion of public trust due to unchecked surveillance, calling for stronger transparency, community oversight, and citizen empowerment.
“We must center people, not power, in our digital policies. Trust is earned when governments are accountable and transparent — and when citizens are equipped to know and defend their rights.”
“Beyond Awareness: Embedding Digital Security Practices in Marginalized Communities”
Drawing from Lizu’s work across Eastern Zambia, Misheck spotlighted the importance of turning digital security awareness into everyday practice. He shared community-based strategies for embedding digital hygiene in rural and underserved areas — not as one-time interventions, but as ongoing habits of safety, resilience, and agency.
“Digital empowerment must go beyond information-sharing. Communities need tools, trust, and continuity to secure their digital lives — especially those often left behind.”
Ubuntu in Action: A Call for Collective Digital Empowerment
Lizu Community Network’s participation at DRIF25 was not just a moment of recognition — it was a reaffirmation of our mission: to bridge the digital divide by putting communities at the center of technology, policy, and progress.
The message was clear: Digital Ubuntu is more than a theme — it’s a path forward.
When we prioritize inclusion over control, collaboration over competition, and protection over exploitation, we build a digital future that reflects our values, safeguards our rights, and uplifts every voice.
As Lizu continues to empower citizens with digital literacy, advocacy skills, and secure access to information, we stand inspired by the collective energy of DRIF25 and all those working to shape a just and inclusive digital Africa.
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