#ItsUpToUs Africa: Mobilising a Continent Through Culture, Creativity, Community & Collective Pride
A pan-African behaviour-change campaign that transformed public-health messaging into a youth-led cultural movement, reaching 54 countries and rebuilding trust through creativity, collaboration and shared ownership.
Rebuilding Trust in a Time of Uncertainty
At the height of the pandemic, Africa faced more than a health crisis; it faced a crisis of trust. Despite vaccine availability, uptake across the continent lagged behind global averages. Among young people aged 18–35, hesitancy was driven not by apathy, but by mistrust, misinformation and disconnection from traditional institutions.
Facts existed, but belief did not. For us, this was not simply a communications challenge. It was a cultural one.
When Information Is Not Enough
Traditional public-health campaigns leaned heavily on authority and instruction. Meanwhile, across social platforms, misinformation travelled faster than facts, amplified by messaging that failed to reflect the language, humour and identity of African youth.
The issue was not access to information; it was connection. The challenge became clear: how do you rebuild trust at scale without speaking at people? How do you shift behaviour by inviting ownership rather than enforcing compliance?
Designing a Movement, Not a Message
In collaboration with Culture Riot and partners including the Mastercard Foundation, CovidHQ Africa and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, we built #ItsUpToUs as a culture-led, youth-owned movement. Our strategy reframed vaccination from a mandate into an act of pride; a contribution to Moving Africa Forward.
Culture was not an executional layer; it was the strategy. Music, dance, creators and language became the medium through which trust could be rebuilt.
By centring young Africans as participants rather than recipients, the campaign transformed a public-health brief into a shared continental movement.
Influence Built Through Collaboration
Creators played a central role in shaping the narrative. From appointing Yemi Alade as a cultural ambassador, to activating choreographers, digital creators and influencers across all markets, the campaign lived where young people already were.
Interactive, social-first formats, from challenges to AR experiences, encouraged dialogue, celebration and real-time engagement.
Rather than avoiding difficult conversations, the campaign leaned into them, meeting misinformation directly with credible, peer-led responses. The result was not just reach, but participation and action in the service of Moving Africa Forward.
From Awareness to Collective Action
The results reflected the power of designing influence as a connected ecosystem. Rather than relying on a single channel or voice, the campaign layered creators, advocates, cultural leaders, strategic communications and media to meet young Africans where trust is formed.
This multi-touch approach recognised that shifting vaccine-hesitant mindsets requires more than information. It requires cultural relevance, credibility and participation, delivered through voices people already trust. As a result, vaccination moved beyond institutional discourse and into popular culture, contributing to increased uptake and supporting Africa’s collective transition into a post-pandemic reality.
Continental Reach & Cultural Impact
Data captured across digital, media and creator platforms throughout the campaign lifecycle.
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