Breaking Down AI's Language Barriers: Why Local Languages Matter for African Development

By Prof. Vukosi Marivate, Chair of Data Science, Professor of Computer Science, University of Pretoria

When artificial intelligence systems fail to understand local languages, they don't just create technical inconveniences—they perpetuate digital exclusion that threatens cultural identity and economic opportunity across Africa. The challenge facing leaders from Cape Town to Cairo is stark: how do we ensure AI serves all our people, not just those fluent in English?

Prof. Vukosi Marivate
Chair of Data Science, Professor of Computer Science, University of Pretoria

The Current Reality

Today's AI systems perform poorly in African languages. When asked to count from one to ten in isiZulu, ChatGPT responds with "one good, two good, three four"—a response that would be laughable if it weren't so revealing of the broader problem. Translation attempts fare even worse, with systems converting simple phrases about airplane travel costs into accusations of cowardice.

This isn't merely a technical glitch. Research shows that major AI models score between 29-60% on African language tasks, while African-focused models achieve significantly better results. The root cause lies in data inequality: English Wikipedia contains 7 million articles, while isiZulu has just 11,000, and lesser-resourced languages like Sesotho have fewer than 1,000.

Beyond Technical Challenges

The implications extend far beyond software performance. Language carries culture, knowledge, and human dignity. When AI systems cannot process local languages, they effectively exclude millions from participating in the digital economy. Small business owners cannot use voice assistants in their mother tongue. Students cannot access educational AI tools in languages they understand best. Healthcare workers cannot leverage AI diagnosis systems that comprehend local symptom descriptions.

This digital divide creates a feedback loop of marginalisation. As AI becomes increasingly integrated into economic and social systems, communities whose languages are unsupported risk being further left behind. The problem resembles what Professor Vukosi Marivate calls a "high interest credit card"—the longer we delay addressing language representation, the more expensive and difficult the solution becomes.

Practical Investment Strategies

African researchers and institutions are pioneering solutions that provide clear roadmaps for other regions. The Masakhane research network, with over 3,000 contributors across the continent, demonstrates how grassroots collaboration can drive meaningful progress while winning international awards and securing millions in funding.

Leaders can support local language AI through several concrete measures:

Data Infrastructure: Convert existing multilingual dictionaries and glossaries from PDFs into machine-readable formats. Follow South Africa's Next Voices model of systematically recording and transcribing thousands of hours of local speech. Work with data organisations to ensure local content isn't automatically filtered out of global training datasets.

Technical Development: Focus on smaller, resource-efficient models rather than competing with billion-dollar systems. Build mathematical representations that help AI understand relationships between words across multiple languages. Create accessible APIs that let local developers integrate language tools into their applications.

Policy Reform: Implement equitable licensing frameworks like the NOODL license, which allows free use by developing countries while ensuring benefits flow back to communities. Reform academic funding to recognize collaborative research and conference publications, not just journal articles that discourage the international cooperation this work requires.

Institutional Support: Fund pan-African research collaborations and make cross-border academic partnerships easier. Train more local researchers through grants and capacity-building programs. Create institutions like Professor Marivate's new African Institute for Data Science and AI to anchor long-term development.

The investment required is substantial but achievable. Unlike billion-dollar models from tech giants, effective local language systems can be built with strategic resource allocation and strong partnerships between universities, government agencies, and private sector partners.

Conclusion

As AI reshapes global economic and social structures, African leaders have a choice: accept systems designed elsewhere that exclude local voices, or invest in developing AI that truly serves all citizens. The technical challenges are solvable, but success requires understanding that this is fundamentally about human dignity and cultural preservation.

The window for action is narrowing. Every day that passes without investment in local language AI makes the eventual solution more expensive and the digital divide wider. The question isn't whether African countries can afford to invest in multilingual AI—it's whether they can afford not to.

Resources:
Data Science for Social Impact (DSFSI), University of Pretoria: https://www.dsfsi.co.za
African Institute for Data Science & AI (AfriDSAI): https://up.ac.za/afridsai
Masakhane Research Foundation: https://www.masakhane.io/
Deep Learning Indaba: https://deeplearningindaba.com/
Next Voices (African speech dataset project): https://huggingface.co/datasets/dsfsi...
PuoBERTa Language Models: https://huggingface.co/spaces/dsfsi/P...
NOODL Open Data License: https://licensingafricandatasets.com
Esethu License Framework (Lelapa AI): https://lelapa.ai/a-global-first-how-...

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About Prof. Vukosi Marivate

Prof. Vukosi Marivate is Chair of Data Science and Professor of Computer Science at the University of Pretoria, where he leads the Data Science for Social Impact group. His research focuses on Machine Learning (ML), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Natural Language Processing (NLP), particularly for African and other low-resource languages. He co-founded Lelapa AI, the Masakhane Research Foundation, and the Deep Learning Indaba. His work spans social challenges in science, energy, public safety, and utilities, aiming to create AI for Africans by Africans.

PSA: The Mobilisation Formula

How We Bring People Together to Make a Difference

At Treeshake, we've learned that successful campaigns aren't built on great ideas alone—they're engineered through mastering three distinct types of strategic work. After reaching over a billion people across diverse campaigns, we've codified our approach into the Mobilisation Formula.

This framework reveals why some initiatives create lasting transformation while others generate temporary buzz before fading away.

The Three Essential Elements

Every successful mobilisation depends on three fundamental components:

People are your participants—not just any audience, but the specific individuals who can become champions of your cause and drive change within their networks.

Story is your compelling narrative that explains why change matters now, connecting hearts and minds to transform abstract goals into meaningful vision that people want to join.

Action is your pathway to impact—the specific, achievable steps that convert intention into measurable results.

Why Most Change Initiatives Fail

When only two elements align, you get partial results that feel frustratingly incomplete:

People + Story = Engagement Without Impact
You have an interested audience inspired by your message, but they don't know what to do next. Think viral content that generates shares but no lasting behavior change.

Story + Action = Plans Without People
You have compelling messaging and clear objectives, but no one to execute them. Like a detailed campaign strategy sitting unused because you haven't built the network to make it happen.

People + Action = Tasks Without Meaning
You have willing participants and specific work to do, but no deeper purpose connecting them. This creates short-term compliance without lasting commitment.

True Mobilisation: Where All Three Converge

At the intersection of People, Story, and Action, you achieve Mobilisation—when the right people are moved by compelling narratives to take coordinated action that creates lasting change.

This is where social movements gain unstoppable momentum, where policy campaigns shift public opinion, and where brand initiatives generate authentic community engagement that endures.

Three Types of Work

The Mobilisation Formula integrates insights from sociology, narrative science, and behavioral psychology:

People: Connective Labour

Connecting with the right people intentionally and impactfully can be hard work, especially in the beginning. The work to be done here ranges from identifying key stakeholder groups and individuals, calling people and getting them onboard, hosting meetings, posting to social media. Who are you going to reach, how are you going to reach them, and when or how often?

Story: Narrative Labour

People don’t make decisions based on facts alone, they need a story. The work of finding out what messaging moves people, and how to communicate it is narrative labour. People are busy and your message competes with hundreds of others in their world every day. You need messaging that hits people at an emotional level while remaining true and effective. We develop core narratives while analyzing competing stories, cultural context, optimal timing for message resonance, and the media landscape your story must navigate. There’s communications collateral here - speaking to people and testing messaging, gathering evidence, producing videos, documents, presentations, adverts and so on.

Action: Experiential Labour

People may want to support you but find it difficult to do so. Making action clear and easy is the work of experiential labour. It’s about taking complex actions and breaking it down into clear steps that move people along from awareness to action. This could range from designing advocacy toolkits to organising transport to political rallies. We design clear objectives while securing resources, optimizing timing, building infrastructure, reducing friction, and developing the organizational capabilities required for execution. This is all about designing processes, interfaces, share-packs.

Why This Approach Works

Most agencies focus on what they know best—creative, media, or strategy—while treating other domains as afterthoughts. We've built our entire methodology around the recognition that lasting change requires excellence across all three types of work working in harmony. The right people, information presented narratively, and clear next actions that drive meaningul results.

We evaluate every campaign through these three lenses, identifying which domain needs the most attention while ensuring all three remain integrated throughout execution. The result? Campaigns that don't just achieve immediate objectives—they engineer momentum that transforms temporary initiatives into sustained movements.

Ready to Mobilise?

Whether you're launching a public awareness campaign, driving policy change, building brand community, or leading organizational transformation, the Mobilisation Formula provides the strategic foundation for results that compound over time.

Let's engineer change that lasts.

A Podcast That Connects Patients and Doctors

Turning clinical topics into a conversation worth listening to

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a growing global health concern, yet remains misunderstood and often under-discussed. For IBD Africa, encouraging open, effective communication between patients and doctors and raising awareness around mucosal healing as a long-term treatment goal was critical.

They wanted a bold yet sensitive content strategy that could resonate with both patients and doctors. Treeshake was brought in to bring that vision to life. We wanted to create a timeless resource that patients or doctors would forward along stating "you must listen to this podcast” and work with people who could carry the message with credibility, authenticity and insight.

Our Approach

We developed a powerful narrative-driven podcast that blended lived experience with clinical expertise. We worked with IBD Africa to get a patient/doctor who has an existing clinical relationship - to dive deep and share the usually untold stories of what living with IBD is really like.

To do this, we scripted, produced and distributed a professionally recorded podcast featuring:

• Uveka Rangappa (host and journalist)

• Dr. Thania Kahn (gastroenterologist)

• Nico Dhevnanan (IBD patient)

Left to right: Uveka Rangappa, Nico Dhevnanan, Dr Thania Kahn

What We Did

• Scripted and produced a full-length podcast (audio and video)

• Sourced, managed and media trained all podcast guests

• Coordinated compliance approval and sign-off

• Uploaded the podcast to YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcast

• Created short-form content to drive social engagement

• Secured multiple radio and television interviews around World IBD Day

Bringing the Podcast to Life

“It’s Not Just a Gut Feeling” is more than a podcast title, it’s a declaration. The episode weaves together Dr. Kahn’s medical insights with Nico’s deeply personal journey with IBD. Through Uveka’s thoughtful facilitation, the conversation addresses physical symptoms, emotional resilience and treatment goals like mucosal healing, making a complex topic accessible and real.

The episode not only demystifies IBD but also empowers listeners to advocate for themselves in medical settings.

Listen here:
YouTube |  Spotify |  Apple Podcasts

The Impact

• Featured on national radio and TV across multiple outlets including:

• Channel Africa Radio

• SABC Morning Live

• Cape Talk

• Chai FM

• Goodhope FM

• Eldos FM and others

• Social shorts were created and distributed to IBD Africa’s audiences via social media channels

What We Learned

Creating impactful health communication requires more than just clear messaging, it needs empathy, collaboration and credibility. In this project, we learned:

• The power of pairing lived experience with clinical expertise to make medical content more relatable.

• The importance of media training to equip guests to share confidently and safely.

• That storytelling can drive awareness and trust in ways data alone cannot.

• Effective distribution - across podcast platforms, social media, and broadcast media - amplifies reach and reinforces impact.

Team

Campaign Strategist: Cordène Midgley

Project Manager: Kirsten de Klerk

Podcast Editing: Emma Ferns

Podcast recording: Sean Loots

Podcast Studio: Latitude Hotel

Leading Mauritius into the Intelligence Age

Mauritius is prepared for AI, but real progress toward becoming a Smart Island now depends on leadership. By starting with practical, high-impact uses of AI to improve speed, efficiency, and decision-making, leaders can unlock immediate value while building the foundation for long-term transformation.

Mauritius’s AI Readiness: A Strong Foundation

Mauritius has made significant strides in positioning itself as a leader in AI readiness. According to the 2024 Government AI Readiness Index by Oxford Insights, Mauritius ranks 61st globally and first in Africa, ahead of Egypt, South Africa, Tunisia, and Rwanda (source). This reflects the country’s sustained investment in governance, infrastructure, and strategic policy to support emerging technologies.

The Mauritius Artificial Intelligence Strategy, launched in 2018, laid the groundwork for this progress. It called for the creation of the Mauritius Artificial Intelligence Council (MAIC) to oversee implementation, foster collaboration, and measure socio-economic impact (source). The strategy also emphasized capacity building, ethical frameworks, and data protection.

Image Source: Oxford Insights Government AI Readiness Index (pdf)

The Leadership Imperative in the Intelligence Age

While infrastructure and regulatory readiness are essential, business leaders have a critical role to play. AI presents an opportunity to accelerate growth, sharpen competitiveness, and reimagine how work gets done. “Leaders need to be actively investing in understanding how AI can make a difference for their company today,” says Dave Duarte, CEO of Treeshake. “The impact of AI over the next 5 years across industries will likely out-pace the changes we’ve seen in the last 20.”

Leadership, in this context, means more than adopting the latest tools. It means fostering a culture of curiosity, clarity, and continuous learning — and aligning AI capabilities with the deeper mission of serving people well. “Smart leaders are investing time to understand how AI could accelerate their mission,” says Duarte. “You need to figure out what problem you’re solving before you just throw AI at it.”

Four Phases of AI Adoption: A Framework for Action

To guide organisations through the evolving journey of AI integration, Duarte outlines a four-phase model of adoption:

1. Efficiency Gains – Quick wins that reduce friction, save time, and build confidence

2. Operational Integration – Embedding AI into workflows and decision systems

3. Strategic Differentiation – Using AI to create competitive advantages

4. Organisational Transformation – Rethinking models, roles, and capabilities for the Intelligence Age

“Start with what saves time and builds trust,” says Duarte. “Then move from automation to advantage.”

Quick Wins Across Key Sectors: Phase One in Action

Each industry in Mauritius has access to high-impact, low-friction AI use cases. These efficiency gains are the best starting point — delivering measurable ROI while preparing teams for deeper transformation.

• In financial services, AI-powered chatbots and onboarding automation cut wait times and improve customer experience.

• In tourism and hospitality, review analysis tools instantly surface guest sentiment, allowing quicker service adjustments.

• For manufacturing, computer vision enhances quality control by spotting defects early and reducing waste.

• In ICT and BPO, ticket triage and transcription tools reduce turnaround times and improve team capacity.

• In real estate and construction, AI-assisted property valuations provide faster pricing insights for agents and investors.

• In FMCG and retail, AI-driven inventory forecasting helps reduce stockouts, manage cash flow, and improve service.

• And in general business operations there are a range of productivity boosts. Tools like Microsoft Copilot, Gemini and ChatGPT can provide sythesised information so quickly that expectations are shifting, yet intelligent use is necessary. Meeting software like Otter seems like an obvious win - transcribing discussions, generate summaries and help teams focus on what matters most. These quick wins form the foundation for longer-term strategic innovation and transformation.

One major consideration that companies leaders have is data privacy and security. These are substantial and need to be addressed one vendor at a time. In addition to that, the security risk posed by hackers equipped with AI to enhance their attacks is increasing, and there’s a need for an equivalent response in defense.

Why AI Is Worth It: Speed, Scale, and Smarter Decisions

Rising consumer expectations are putting pressure on every sector to move faster, deliver more, and do so intelligently. According to Mastercard’s 2024 retail insights, technology adoption is critical to meeting growing customer demand for real-time, personalised service (source). The same is true across financial services and BPO, where clients expect immediacy, reliability, and tailored engagement.

“Every improvement in speed creates margin — whether that’s financial, emotional, or operational,” says Duarte. “AI is the only way to deliver personalisation at scale without blowing up your cost structure.”

Building a Smart Island Requires Smart Leadership

The Smart Island vision is not about plugging in more tech. It’s about applying intelligence — human and artificial — to solve real challenges and build a more livable, inclusive society.

“AI without strategy is just noise at scale,” says Duarte. “If your goals aren’t clear, the smartest algorithm in the world can’t help you.”

As Vrigesh Futta, Director at the Mauritius Emerging Technologies Council, notes: “The incredible impact of Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence on our society is the next step in corporate-customer and government-citizen relationships.” (source). Leaders must be ready not just to manage change, but to communicate it, connect people to purpose, and make ethical calls under uncertainty. That’s where the real leverage lies.

Mauritius has every reason to lead in this next chapter. With a digitally literate population, strong institutions, and a clear policy vision, the foundations are in place. But smart policy alone won’t get us there — it’s smart leadership that will take us forward. “The Intelligence Age will be defined by the leaders who show up, not with hype, but with clarity, courage, and a deep sense of responsibility.” — Dave Duarte, CEO of Treeshake

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This article serves as a primer for participants in the upcoming “AI Strategy for Leaders” course, delivered in partnership with the KIP Center Mauritius. It offers a foundation for understanding the strategic role of leadership in unlocking AI’s potential across the island.

Etana Energy: Powering SA Business with Clean Energy Through the Grid

As one of 5 private companies licensed to wheel renewable energy directly to medium and large-scale industrial users, Etana Energy is helping energise the South African economy.

They’re saving businesses money, ensuring they meet renewable energy usage targets, and helping the South African industry remain internationally competitive. We jumped at the opportunity to collaborate with a forward-thinking client like Etana Energy, a leading electricity trader in South Africa. 

Etana partners with Independent Power Producers (IPPs) by sourcing renewable energy from wind and solar farms nationwide and then supplying it through the grid via a process called wheeling.

Primary Objective and Strategy

Our primary objective lay in ensuring that all marketing initiatives are directly aligned with the primary goal of reaching and influencing key decision-makers. For Etana, this means crafting campaigns that specifically appeal to C-suite executives and other influential stakeholders in the energy and business sectors, ultimately leading to faster engagement and shorter sales cycles. 

Our PR strategy for Etana gained significant traction once we involved individuals with established relationships in business and energy-focused publications. Their ability to navigate and leverage these connections was instrumental in securing high-profile coverage that bolstered Etana’s credibility and visibility in the market.

Featured in these publications and more, is a detailed account of some of the remarkable projects Etana has spearheaded recently: 

• Secured a renewable power deal with Autocast SA, the first contract with 30+ major industrial users in Nelson Mandela Bay.

• Facilitated Cape Town's first wheeling project with Growthpoint Properties and the City of Cape Town in a landmark wind-hydro-solar PPA.

• V&A Waterfront signed a 43 GWh/year PPA with Etana Energy.

• Petra Diamonds signed long-term PPAs for renewable energy at Cullinan and Finsch Diamond Mines.

Brand Strategy

Following this, we knew we had to support the primary objective through the establishment of Etana as the market leader in the renewable energy space. To achieve this, we focused on building a strong brand presence, producing thought leadership content, and executing a PR strategy that emphasizes Etana’s expertise and reliability. We are proud to have re-designed Etana Energy's new website that showcases the high-impact nature work they are doing in the renewable energy sector.

Re-designed Etana Energy website describing the process of wheeling.

This multi-faceted approach not only supports the primary objective but also reinforces Etana’s market position, ensuring that when decision-makers encounter the brand, they recognize its authority and value.

Key Learning: Specialised Expertise Enhances Quality

When dealing with a highly technical client or project, enlisting a specialist with deep industry knowledge can elevate the quality of deliverables. For Etana Energy, contracting a renewable energy expert for content creation significantly improved the relevance and accuracy of our messaging. This approach ensured that our articles, social media content, and executive profiles resonated with the target audience, making the content not only informative but also impactful. The ability to adapt and refine marketing strategies based on real-time feedback and results was another key learning. 

We also know and understand the value and impact of identifying and engaging with the right stakeholders in B2B marketing. Understanding this, we employed a detailed stakeholder mapping process that allowed us to concentrate our efforts on the most influential decision-makers within target organisations. This strategic targeting was key to driving higher engagement and converting leads into contracts more effectively.

This is just the begining of what we are certain will be a fruitful and impactful partnership that will drive meaningful change and make a positive impact on the world. Together, we are not just changing the energy landscape of South Africa; we are setting a new standard for renewable energy solutions globally. 

TREESHAKE TEAM

Strategist & Advisor: Dave Duarte

Creative Director: Chris Roets

Technical Lead: Max Kaizen

Design: Franci Weiner & Emma Ferns

Community: Phumelele Mbatha

The Impact of Relate Water: Bringing Clean Water to Communities

Clean water is a fundamental human right that many people, specifically women and children still lack access to. For a moment, we’d like you to imagine a life where access to safe, clean water isn't guaranteed—yeah, tough, isn’t it? This is a reality for almost 5 million people here in South Africa where women and their children still find themselves walking kilometres to collect water from unsafe, polluted sources. 

Relate Water, a division of the nonprofit organization Relate, is committed to changing this reality by ensuring that clean water becomes standard for those who need it most. For this reason, we are so excited to have them as our client and together we are working towards ensuring South Africa becomes a water-secure country for all who live in it.

Who is Relate Water?

Relate Water operates under the umbrella of Relate, a nonprofit renowned for its impactful social initiatives. Focused on addressing the water crisis in South Africa, Relate Water partners closely with Innovation: Africa, South Africa, a globally recognized nonprofit. Since 2008, Innovation: Africa, South Africa, has brought solar, water, and agricultural technologies to rural African villages, positively impacting the lives of 700,000 people with readily available access to clean water.

The Ripple Effect: Providing Access to Clean Water

We understand that at the heart of Relate Water's mission, is the belief that everyone deserves access to clean, safe water. They collaborate with local communities and organizations like Innovation: Africa, South Africa to implement sustainable water solutions. These initiatives not only provide immediate access to water but also empower communities by creating local employment opportunities and fostering long-term sustainability. They do this through a ten-step process throughout 3 to 4 months. 

Brand Strategy

We’d love to give a huge shoutout to the Kane & Able team for their exceptional brand strategy, which perfectly aligns with Relate Water's objectives. Kane’s clear vision and creative direction alongside his stellar team, ensured our messaging was consistent and aligned with our desired outcomes. By making the brand approachable and playful, they fostered a true sense of community and loyalty and brought authenticity to Relate Water. We are so excited to see where his vision will take us next.

How It Works

Bringing clean water to a village involves a comprehensive process:

1. Needs Assessment and Planning: Relate Water assesses the water needs of communities and plans the installation of sustainable water systems.

2. Implementation: Working closely with Innovation: Africa, South Africa, Relate Water sources clean underground water and initiates the installation of water systems. This phase typically takes 3 to 4 months.

3. Community Involvement: Local teams are then hired and trained to manage and maintain the water systems, ensuring that the investment continues to benefit the community long after installation addressing sustainability and impact.

Our successful activation: Nomu Wa Huku Village

We recently collaborated with Lauren Gillis, Founder and CEO of Relate and Relate Water, to launch a community-based fundraiser called the Relate Water Walk. There was a need to ensure this activation was a success is because this water crisis was severely impacting the community's primary water source that is used for drinking, cleaning, and cooking, leading to frequent waterborne illnesses such as diarrhoea, which affected both children and adults. 

As you can imagine, this makes it much harder for people to find employment if they are concerned with their survival. Consequently, it was imperative to mobilize funds through the Relate Water Walk to provide clean water. Each $25 donation from the run ensured one person would have water for life. This event invited companies and individuals to pay $25 to enter the run, with each entry providing one person with water for life. Life! Through this initiative, we raised nearly enough funds online to bring an entire village access to clean water.

Making an Impact: The Cost

The impact of providing clean water is profound but comes with a cost. It costs approximately R1.5 million to bring clean water to an entire village of up to 10,000 people. This investment not only provides life-changing access to water but also contributes to improved health outcomes, economic opportunities, and overall community well-being. 

You can make a ripple effect by visiting their new e-commerce website which we successfully built and launched. This has empowered individuals and businesses to join us in making clean water accessible to communities in need across South Africa. 

We are excited to be working with Relate and giving people the power to turn on their taps and have access to clean water for the rest of their lives. 

TREESHAKE TEAM

Creative Director: Megan Damon

Technical Lead: Max Kaizen

Strategist: Chris Roets

Advisor: Dave Duarte

Design: Franci Weiner

Community: Phumelele Mbatha

What Is Community Experience Design

Community Experience Design (CXD) is an emerging field that focuses on designing and optimizing the experiences of communities, whether they are online communities, local communities, or interest-based communities.

At Treeshake we apply CXD to fundraising, b2b sales and relations, business-to-government, government-to-industry communications, business to employees, and business to niche constituency comms. In other words, fields where there’s a defined set of people we’re looking to communicate with, onboard, and grow connectivity to. Usually community sizes range from 200 - 100k members.

CXD draws from various disciplines, including user experience design, community management, social psychology, and data analysis.

Some key aspects of Community Experience Design include:

🔍 Community research and insights: Conducting research to understand the community's culture, values, motivations, and pain points, as well as analyzing community data and interactions.

📝 Community strategy and planning: Defining the community's purpose, goals, and desired outcomes, as well as developing strategies for fostering engagement, collaboration, and growth.

🏗️ Community architecture and design: Designing the structure, features, and user experience of the community platform or environment, including user interfaces, information architecture, and interaction models.

🤝 Community facilitation and moderation: Establishing guidelines, policies, and processes for facilitating discussions, managing conflicts, and moderating community interactions to ensure a safe and productive environment.

📊 Community analytics and measurement: Developing metrics and methods for measuring community health, engagement, and impact, as well as analyzing data to inform iterative improvements and decision-making.

It differs from typical User Experience Design by optimising in a couple of key ways:

1. Directly identifying and contacting the right people to join the community, rather than simply opening it up to everyone initially. This sets the tone and culture.

2. Onboarding collateral, content, experiences, and actions.

3. Emphasising the long term connectedness. We don’t want to churn people through a one-off buying or decision-making process, but rather we want to both achieve the sale and the decision while growing the connectivity. So we have loyalty metrics and data in our CRM.

4. Equipping current community members to evangelise and bring others onboard.

A last note about CXD as we see it, is that the community members don’t always see or understand themselves as part of your “community”, however, we find that using this nomenclature ensures that we focus on the long term value, reciprocal exchange, and ecosystem effects of the relationships that matter and drive results for our clients.

PRIDE NOT CRUELTY: A ROAR FOR CAPTIVE LIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA

South Africa's lions, a symbol of national pride, have long faced a harsh reality - exploitation in commercial captive breeding facilities. Confined to unnatural environments, subjected to inadequate care, and ultimately destined for a life of entertainment or worse, these magnificent creatures suffer immensely. In 2023, World Animal Protection, Blood Lions, and Treeshake joined forces to launch the #PrideNotCruelty campaign, determined to end this cruel practice.

#PrideNotCruelty Case Study Video by Emma Ferns

800 VOICES FOR 800 LIONS

The #PrideNotCruelty builds on the foundations of #800Lions, a campaign that started in 2020 by Blood Lions, World Animal Protection, and Treeshake, “to mobilise supporters and put pressure on the South African Government to continue setting a zero CITES lion bone export quota” (Blood Lions).

The campaign inspired the public to raise their voices for lions by creating lion-inspired art, whether this be drawing, painting, photography, music, poetry, or dance. While the aim was to reach 800 pieces of art, representing the quota of 800 lion skeletons South Africa exported every year for use in traditional medicine, we received nearly 1 300 art submissions, indicating overwhelming support from the public.

These artworks were submitted to Minister Barbara Creecy in the lead up to the G20 Summit, urging her to decide against a continuation of the legal trade in big cat bones and body parts (Blood Lions).

Video credit: Blood Lions

The PROBLEM: LIONS TRAPPED IN A CYCLE OF EXPLOITATION

In South Africa, there are an estimated 8,000 - 10,000 lions suffering in captivity on commercial lion breeding farms and only about 3,500 living in the wild. Confined to cramped enclosures, they endure inadequate living conditions, poor diets, and a lack of enrichment. This not only compromises their physical well-being but also inflicts deep psychological scars. Behaviours like pacing, self-mutilation, and lethargy become a tragic reflection of their captivity.

Photo credit: World Animal Protection

This exploitative industry not only disregards animal welfare but also perpetuates a misleading narrative. Canned hunting, where captive-bred lions are hunted in fenced enclosures, offers a pale imitation of a genuine conservation effort. Breeding facilities often claim to contribute to conservation by reintroducing lions to the wild, a practice doused in controversy with limited success. To this extent, allowing the commercial captive lion industry to continue could also damage Brand South Africa and negatively affect our tourism, our economy, and our people.

THE ASK: A CALL FOR A MANDATORY PHASE-OUT

The #PrideNotCruelty campaign had a clear and urgent ask: to urge the South African government, specifically Minister Barbara Creecy of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), to uphold her 2021 commitment. This commitment involved transitioning from a voluntary exit programme for captive lion breeders to a mandatory phase-out of the entire industry.

We recognised the progress made by Minister Creecy's initial announcement. However, a voluntary system left room for exploitation to continue. A mandatory phase-out would ensure a definitive end to this cruel practice.

THE ACTION: A MULTI-FACETED APPROACH TO CHANGE

At the heart of the #PrideNotCruelty campaign was a strategic mix of tactics to raise awareness and mobilise supporters. Here’s a closer look at the key elements:

Celebrity and Influencer outreach

A key component of advocacy is people. To turn the #PrideNotCruelty campaign into a movement and to encourage Minister Creecy to recommit to her 2021 promise, we needed to increase the number of people speaking out about the problem. To do this, we enlisted the help of key South African influencers, Farirai Sanyika - or Fari as she is fondly known by friends - the voice behind GoPhari, a blog and travel company for solo travellers, as well as 12-year-old eco-activist Romario Valentine. By leveraging their social networks, these prominent voices were able to reach a much wider audience, ultimately helping to spread the message of the campaign, and encouraging people to join the movement.

Advocacy toolkit

To empower individuals to become active participants and spread awareness of the realities of commercial captive lion breeding, we developed an advocacy toolkit, a set of researched, peer-reviewed and vetted resources. It comprises three powerful curated talking points (10, 000 Lions in Captivity, Exploited at Every Stage of Life, and Legal vs Illegal), each with their own graphics and call-to-action messages. The toolkit is a ready-made social media campaign available on the PrideNotCruelty website that users can just share on their profiles and other online platforms.

Free Your Creativity for Captive Lions

In another #PrideNotCruelty activation, we called on the creative people of South Africa. From 1-10 August 2023, the "Free Your Creativity" campaign empowered creative South Africans to express solidarity and compassion for these iconic apex predators through art. Drawing, sculpting, dancing, poetry, photography or any other form of artistic expression, to become a powerful tool for advocacy. Each creative expression became a call for change, a stride towards a South African future without lions in captivity.

THE IMPACT: A ROAR HEARD ACROSS SOUTH AFRICA

The #PrideNotCruelty campaign generated a phenomenal response:

• Media Attention: The campaign garnered 39 media mentions, propelling the issue into the national spotlight.

• Public Engagement: Over 15,000 online interactions were recorded, highlighting the widespread public support for ending the commercial captive lion breeding industry.

• Creative Expression: The "Free Your Creativity" call to action yielded a powerful collection of artwork. These artistic expressions served as a powerful symbol of solidarity presented to Minister Creecy.

• Public Activations: Six public activations were held, including screenings of the documentary "Blood Lions," live panel discussions, and creative events like "Lion's Head on Lion Day'' and "Draw with Marti Macfly." These events fostered a sense of community and collective action.

• Department Taking a Stand: For the first time, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment posted publicly about the cause. Although, it was taken down 2 hours later, it was a win for the campaign.  

Post credit: Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment

A VICTORY FOR LIONS

Cabinet has approved a Policy Position to end the captive breeding of lions. This policy is the result of nearly a decade of inquiries, reports, a parliamentary colloquium, and a global effort by NGOs to raise public awareness and support for the ban. It details “eight voluntary exit options for captive lion breeders, which includes two mandatory prerequisites. The report notes that these voluntary exit options should only be the first step in the longer-term government objectives of ultimately closing the commercial captive lion industry in South Africa” (Blood Lions).

The adoption of the Policy Position aligns with the release of a draft Biodiversity Economy Strategy by the Environment Department. This strategy proposes a significant expansion of conservation areas, known as mega living conservation landscapes, from 20 million hectares to 34 million hectares by 2040. This ambitious goal represents an area equivalent to seven Kruger National Parks.

We're honoured to have played a part in the #PrideNotCruelty campaign, supporting this change. While there's still work ahead on finalising the implementation plan, this phased approach marks a significant step forward. We commend the Ministerial Task Team for their efforts, and we eagerly await the details of this crucial next chapter. For updates on the progress, follow Blood Lions on Instagram, Facebook, and X.

TREESHAKE TEAM

Advocacy & Impact Strategy: Dave Duarte

Campaign Director: Cordène Midgley

Mobilisation Lead: Elaine Rumboll

Content Strategist & Copywriter: Sigrid Kenmuir

Design: Amy Staak, Emma Ferns

Social Media: Emma Ferns

Paid Media: Aisha Isaacs

Technical Lead & UX: Schalk van der Merwe

Campaign & Community Coordinator: Megan Damon

PR & Influencers: Vukosi Mnisi

Run Blue: Getting People Around the World to Step Up for Water

We helped Mina Guli, an ultra-endurance runner and water advocate, build an on-the-ground community for water in 202 countries and territories.

#RunBlue Case Study Video by Emma Ferns

In March 2022 in Uluru, Australia water advocate and runner, Mina Guli woke in the wee hours of the morning, laced up her shoes, put on a headlamp and set out on Marathon 1 of what was to be a 200 Marathon journey in one year across 32 countries finishing at the UN Water Conference in NYC in March 2023. 

What she (and we) were to experience and learn, was astounding and made an even stronger case for action, at the highest levels, for access to water across the globe.

The #RunBlue campaign aimed to put water at the top of the global agenda by inspiring meaningful action on water from companies and people.

During the year, we organised community virtual running and walking activations which ensured that Mina had a global community alongside her, so she was able to bring their voices to the conference in NYC.

In each country Mina visited she met with local people who are facing water pressures, or who have solutions to the water crisis, over 40 mini-documentaries were created to share these stories and highlight issues on the ground.

Throughout the campaign, in between running! Mina gave several keynote addresses (including at COP27, Dushanbe Water Process, Davos and UN Water Conference) and media interviews to ensure that the message was top of mind.

The Challenge

From a communication and organisational point of view, the main challenge was unpacking how to sustain interest in a campaign and a topic for an entire year. It’s a long time to keep a community engaged and involved. In this case - it really was a Marathon and not a sprint.

Just like running 200 Marathons, campaign endurance requires discipline, a lot of planning and an understanding that things can change at any moment.

Plan. Pivot. Plan. Adapt. Plan….this was the ebb and flow of the campaign, we needed to be fit, and clear thinking and seamless adaptation helped us maintain our rhythm.

The Solution

It may surprise some, but a supportive global community is created by design: unique virtual activations, strategic thought leader outreach and well-crafted social media updates meant that we were able to sustain interest and indeed grow the movement.

• Video and photo production teams on the ground captured stories and the sights and sounds of the expedition. We made sure that these mini-documentaries constantly fed our socials and educated our community.

• Gather people on the ground. Use direct outreach (emails, social DMs, WhatsApp) to people to get them involved in some capacity, by telling their communities about the activations or organising community runs themselves.

• Get key opinion leaders involved - don’t be too proud to ask for help. 

In the final #WorldWaterRun activation which coincided with Marathon 200 in NYC, we enlisted the help of heavy hitters like the GOAT Eliud Kipchoge who endorsed the event and encouraged their communities to sign up.

A partnership with leading water technology company, Xylem, secured in the process of the campaign led to two breakthrough opportunities to drive signups. Mina was given the opportunity to speak about the World Water Run at Yankee Stadium in front of thousands of fans; and a very special call for involvement from Pep Guardiola and Man City Football Club.

Building a Truly Global Movement

Mina Guli and the Thirst Foundation are building a truly global movement for water.

In our final Run Blue activation, the World Water Run, people in 196 countries signed up, along with major organisations, civil society organisations, non-profits, and leading voices for water around the world.

Run Blue also delivered on the mission of making water more visible, urgent, and accessible.

We achieved 4,3 billion media impressions (Critical Mention); 771 million social media impressions (Keyhole). And an online reach of 560 million (Brand24). Conservatively, the AVE (Advertising Value Equivalent) of this was easily over $70m (Brand24 + Critical Mention).

On social media, most of this was driven by the use of the hashtags we created in the various global support activations, like #Sweat4Soap. However, Mina also gained over 100k social media followers along the way (Twitter, Facebook, Strava, LinkedIn, and Instagram).

The campaign is over, but lives on. Mina and Thirst have not only leveled up in brand recognition, but also have a global network of people, organisations, and supporters who are now poised to take substantial action to improve local water management. There is also a spectacular library of as-yet-unreleased footage that will enable continued storytelling about the global water crisis.

You can follow Mina on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.

Our team and the #RunBlue community learned about some of the major issues:

• Access to water is not democratic, some communities are still having to walk for days to get water

• The commodification of water is dividing communities and, in places, penalising the less fortunate

• The impacts of deforestation in massive water towers like the Amazon will be difficult to recover from.

• There is hope however, thankfully there are innovative solutions that are being implemented across the globe and people who care enough to make an impact.

Treeshake Team

Strategy: Dave Duarte

Campaign and Content Director: Melissa Attree

Content & Community Management: Megan Damon, Vukosi Mnisi

Art Direction: Alez Odendaal

Design: Robyn De Villiers

Community Management: Phumelele Mbatha, Thameena Dhansay, Kirsten de Klerk, Emma Ferns

Mobilization & Outreach Management: Elaine Rumboll

Technical Lead: Schalk van der Merwe

Mina Guli completes Marathon 200/200 outside the UN in NYC.

Photo credit: Kelvin Trautman