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ROUNDCHECK is set to host a youth-focused poetry festival on Media and Information Literacy (MIL) in Lagos on December 12, 2025. The festival, tagged Truth in Verse, will bring together poets, journalists, fact-checkers, and young creatives to explore how spoken word can support media literacy in Nigeria.
The festival comes at a critical time, as misinformation continues to spread across social media, shaping conversations around elections, public health, and social issues. Although, Nigeria has more than 122 million internet users, only a small fraction possess the skills to critically evaluate online information.
Organisers say the festival aims to give young people a more relatable entry point into media literacy through performance, creativity and storytelling.
Activities for the day will include themed poetry performances, MIL workshops, a panel session, and an open mic segment. An anthology, Poetry Against Fake News, will also be unveiled, featuring pieces written by participants.
ROUNDCHECK noted that the festival aligns with its ongoing advocacy to make media literacy more accessible and engaging for young Nigerians. It believes spoken word has become an effective tool for digital education because of its emotional depth and strong appeal to youth audiences.
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Speaking about the festival, RoundCheck’s Executive Director, Caleb Ijioma, said the project reflects the organisation’s push for creative approaches to media literacy.
“The Truth in Verse Festival is our way of using spoken-word poetry to carry media and information literacy messages across themes like gender, AI, human rights, and elections. Young people connect with poetry in a powerful way, and we want to use that energy to strengthen MIL awareness,” he said.
“We need more strategic and accessible ways to teach media literacy, and this festival is one of them. RoundCheck is committed to this work, and we’re able to push it forward with the support of our partners.”
The event is supported by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Africa Check, Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) and FactsMatterNG, with CableCheck, Yali Network Lagos, Media Career Development Network and Media and Information Literacy and Intercultural Dialogue (MILID) Foundation as media partners.
Registration is open to the public, and organisers encourage young creatives and media enthusiasts to participate via https://bit.ly/TruthInVerse. Application deadline is December 7, 2025.
Participants can also submit poetry materials here. Selected poems will be included in an anthology.
