New Year resolutions are a powerful tool for strengthening good narratives
When it comes to narrative change; the real power is not in keeping our new year resolutions, it is in sharing them. Here is my start-of-year challenge to fellow narrative change agents in Africa
I am too old to still believe in the "new year, new me" cliché. I have abandoned enough ambitions, binge-eaten through enough diets, and ghosted enough personal goals to still believe there is anything magical about the flip of a calendar. But this has not diminished my belief in New Year Resolutions as a powerful cultural tool -- especially when it comes to narrative change.
Many narratives that seem too ambitious today should be promoted in light of the reality that we may never get to enjoy the fruits of our labor in this lifetime
My experience as a communications practitioner has taught me that narrative change is often gradual and gruelling; it is seldom swift and breezy. Many people that dreamed up today's mainstream narratives died long before they saw their dreams turn into cultural realities. For example, those who first dared claim that "all people are equal regardless of race and deserve equal rights and opportunities" did not live to see any meaningful cultural assimilation of their ideas. The same goes for the early 20th century believers that dared to claim "women deserve equal rights and opportunities as men, free from discrimination and violence."
This is why many narratives that seem too ambitious today should be promoted in light of the reality that we may never get to enjoy the fruits of our labor in this lifetime. But this does not make the labor any less noble or less effective.
The habit of making New Years resolutions, while often seen as cliché, can actually be a powerful tool for narrative change. Here are some powerful ways that we can all wield New Year resolutions as a tool for shaping narratives that promote human rights and gender justice in 2025, for ourselves and for the people we love:
A goal without intentionality is just a toothless roar
Many traditions that are now "normal" and "natural" were once out-of-pocket and wild
Resolutions force you to be intentional -- to consciously identify and reflect on the stories you tell about other human beings in all the spheres of influence. This sets a clear direction and intention for the year ahead, moving you away from simply drifting along. So, instead of accepting the narrative that this is just "how society is", resolutions encourage you to challenge that story and actively work towards a different version of your life and society. It helps to remember that many traditions that are now "normal" and "natural" were once out-of-pocket and wild.
The refresh button is really a zoom button
Resolutions are powerful symbols of a fresh start or a blank page. Symbols are not powerless. Like a magnifying glass, symbols have no intrinsic "creative" power, but symbols are what give power to creation. There is nothing innate to the red color that forces you to stop at a red light, but what it symbolizes is compelling enough. The same applies to the Christian Cross, or the Islamic Crescent and Star. The New Year resolution is a powerful narrative symbol that motivates us to disrupt harmful narratives and nurture helpful stories.
Unlike the start of an annual work-plan which is limited to the small circle of concerned team members, attaching your narrative change goals to the New Year resolution invites the collective psyche of the entire world to your mission. The fresh start effect is a powerful reminder to keep the momentum -- the refresh button is not just a repetition of a failed past mission, it is a replication of the support behind your mission.
Reflection is refuelling
Narrative change is always a long-term project that can never be confined to a single project duration or a media campaign period
The New Year resolution season is a cultural pit-stop to reflect on mistakes made, balls dropped and strategies that need improvement. Narrative change is always a long-term project that can never be confined to a single project duration or a media campaign period. Often, it is not the novelty of the information but the multiplication of opportunities that makes narratives potent. In my 2024, I saw some narrative change initiatives that were I initially reported as "failures" achieving desired results long after the end of the relevant communications campaign. Unlike the end of a work-plan, or the end of a project and contract, the New Year is a perennial opportunity to learn and adjust your approach rather than giving up. This reinforces the idea that setbacks are not necessarily a sign of failed narratives but a part of the narrative change journey which often includes course correction and clarification .
Below are some narrative resolutions for your 2025. I challenge you to not just believe them, but to take every opportunity this year to say them, embody them, and advocate for them -- until these strange and alien truths become "natural" and "self evident":
I have a responsibility to protect the planet and its resources for future generations.
People should be free to migrate across borders and seek opportunities or refuge without facing restrictive immigration policies or detention.
Bodily autonomy is a fundamental right that must be enjoyed by all persons of legal age and and sound mind to make informed decisions about their bodies. LGBTQ+ people deserve to live openly and authentically without fear of discrimination or violence.
Laws and policies that criminalize queer persons must be totally repealed and rejected. Such laws, often framed as "family protection" laws, are harmful attempts to dehumanize a section of humanity and convert the family into a site of violence against LGBTQ+ family members.
The international community has a responsibility to intervene in genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity; because a threat to human rights anywhere is a threat to human rights everywhere.
All persons have a right to privacy in the face of increasing government and corporate surveillance, data collection, and facial recognition technology.
All individuals have a right to education that provides accurate and age-appropriate information about sexuality, reproduction, and healthy relationships, empowering individuals to make informed choices about their bodies.
Making these narrative ambitions part of our New Year resolutions is a powerful step towards building this future normality. Let's do it together.
Until we are all recognized as full citizens.
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Narrative Spotlight: My friend Teresa Loch has penned a personal and powerful blow to the patriarchy and the misogyny that perpetuates it in our homes. Read it here and share it as your act of resistance and your contribution to turning rare narratives of healing and liberation into the new normal.