MAIDUGURI, Nigeria – In a bid to mend the social fabric of a state long defined by the Boko Haram insurgency, community leaders and artists will gather on Wednesday at the Open Air Theatre to launch a creative offensive against violent extremism.

The “Entertainment for Peace” event, organized by the Peace Ambassadors Centre for Humanitarian Aid and Empowerment (PACHE), seeks to pivot away from traditional security rhetoric. Instead, it leverages spoken word, poetry, and musical performances to engage a generation of youth often marginalized by conflict.

Coming just two weeks after the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and PACHE successfully hosted the well-attended “Football for Peace” tournament, organizers  are launching this new initiative to demonstrate that there are endless avenues for promoting peace in conflict-affected Borno State.

“The Boko Haram conflict has brought increasing social tensions and youth disengagement,” said Amb. Ahmed Shehu, President and Founder of PACHE. “Creative arts have proven to be powerful tools for expression, dialogue, healing, and social transformation.”

The initiative comes as Borno State grapples with the long-term challenges of reintegration and social cohesion. While the state government has made strides in stabilization, PACHE officials argue that sustainable peace requires “youth-friendly platforms” that challenge narratives of division through empathy and cultural expression.

The summit is expected to draw a diverse coalition of stakeholders, including: Government and Security Officials: Coordinating on service delivery and community safety; Religious and Traditional Leaders: Bridging generational and cultural divides; Youth and Women’s Groups: Sharing lived experiences to promote mutual understanding. The Media to give the event and subsequent engagements the needed voice and publicity.              

By combining entertainment with civic dialogue, organizers hope to create a “safe space” where residents can interact across social and cultural lines that have been sharpened by years of instability. 

The event is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. on January 28 at the Open Air Theatre on Shehu Laminu Way. It marks a continued effort by civil society organizations to complement government-led peacebuilding through grassroots, human-centric engagement.