Nigerian storyteller and filmmaker, **David Akwara**, has called for a grassroots approach to combating misinformation, polarisation, and the widening global post-truth divide, insisting that truth must be taught with the same urgency and emotional weight as lies.
Akwara made the remarks in **Seoul, South Korea**, while delivering a keynote address at the **10th International Conference on Global Citizenship Education (IConGCED)**, co-hosted by **UNESCO**, the Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding (APCEIU), and the Korean Ministries of Education and Foreign Affairs.
The conference, themed *“Democracy in the Post-Truth Crisis: The Role of GCED”*, explored how education can equip learners to counter disinformation and strengthen democratic dialogue.
Speaking in his capacity as **Programme Development and Partnership Lead at Africa’s Future Economic Leaders (AFEC)**, Akwara argued that disinformation flourishes because it tells stories people are inclined to believe. He stressed that the antidote lies not in louder propaganda but in **bottom-up strategies** that empower young people to fact-check, model dialogue, and spread empathy across schools, families, youth clubs, creative spaces, and community forums.
> “We must teach truth the way lies are taught — with speed, with emotion, with precision, and above all, with empathy,” he said. “Youths may be digital natives, but they must also become fact natives and critical thinkers if we are to heal the post-truth divide.”
He warned that every unverified WhatsApp forward fuels misinformation, urging young people to pause, fact-check, and prioritise empathy and truth. “Facts alone don’t move people,” he added. “But facts wrapped in story can change hearts, spark dialogue, and heal divides.”
Highlighting youth opportunities, Akwara commended **UNESCO’s training initiatives** aimed at equipping young people with the tools to verify, question, and analyse information, stressing the need to expand such programmes across generations.
Reflecting on his personal journey, he shared how growing up in **Kolokolo, Delta State**, where conflict was resolved through action rather than dialogue, shaped his early worldview.
“I grew up listening only to respond, not to understand,” he admitted. “I wish my elders and teachers had shown me that the true power of dialogue is in listening to understand.”
Akwara concluded that bridging the post-truth divide requires **fact-based storytelling, evidence-grounded dialogue, and a generation of youth who are as skilled in critical thinking as they are in digital fluency.**
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