As a way of appreciating young people for a peaceful elections, Africa Young Voices(AYV) Media Empire and the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone(ECSL) on Friday celebrated cypher rappers and dancers for the peaceful messages they preached during the June 24th elections.
The celebration ceremony took place at ECSL headquarters, Tower Hill in Freetown.
The AYV Hit the Street Peace Edition was done on the 22nd June 2023 and it was sponsored by ECSL.
Speaking at the event, Chief Operating Officer for AYV, Messeh Leone said they organised the event to celebrate Sierra Leoneans for the peace they maintained before, during and after the June 24th general elections.
"The Saful Elections that was conducted is a demonstration that we the people of Sierra Leone took the election very serious and peace played an important part. We as a media company, we are not a protagonist or antagonist because our role is to give credible and factual information to the people of Sierra Leone that is why the commissioner said 'AYV Nar E Salone Sabie," he said.
He further said during the elections, they provided a level playing field for all politicians, including young people through the cypher and hit the street show, and that that was a proud moment for AYV.
He said they were proud of their track record being the leading voice for media in the country because they provided the platform for everyone in the country and across Africa.
AYV Chief Operating Officer said during the election they knew the peace of the country was at stake,therefore whatever they did was towards protecting and promoting the peace of the nation.
He said they were very happy that the cypher project came on board to preach peace.
He stated that the cypher guys are not just voice of the street, but they are serious people as some of them are in the universities.
He said they have proven it that young people can play an important role in society hence the foundation of AYV was based on the premise of young people.
Speaking to various winning groups, Chief Electoral Commissioner for ECSL, Mohamed K. Konneh thanked AYV Media Empire and the Cypher team for partnering with the commission to conduct a peaceful 2023 elections.
He said when he was appointed as the Chief Electoral Commissioner, he promised Sierra Leoneans that he would conduct an election that everyone would be involved in the process.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Commissioner Kenneh said despite there were concerns from people, he believes that as an institution they did their very best and conducted a credible, free and fair elections.
He said they also partner with AYV Cypher team to use their talent to educate Sierra Leoneans about the electioneering process through entertainment show for those who love entertainment, so he appreciate their contribution by bringing everyone on board before, during and after the elections.
Commissioner Konneh said during that time they worked with every sector to conduct a peaceful election, adding that their partnership with AYV cypher helped them to get a large turnout of voters and reduced invalid votes.
"We want to thank God because after the elections, we were able to protect the peace of this country and we hope we will continue to work as one big family for the betterment of our nation. We will also continue to work with AYV to preach peace because this partnership will not end here. I also want to congratulate the winners of the AYV cypher," he said.
