JUST about a month back, an unassuming meerkat leaning against a wall became Africa’s unofficial mascot — popping up in ad campaigns, news feeds and in netizens’ reality-check jokes.
As the remixed “knowing rodent” trended from Harare to Lilongwe, Mombasa to Abuja, I found myself wondering: if a simple meme can capture millions of hearts, can we harness that same frenzy to save our children from sexual abuse?
In just 72 hours, the original meerkat image racked up more than 20 million views across Instagram, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
The image — humorous and oddly relatable — swept all of us in days.
Even brands that typically stick to product posts tried their hand at meerkat magic — insurance companies, churches, banks.
My own group, Childline Zimbabwe, joined in, tagging the meme with a helpline number and a call to report abuse.
The post earned 10 times the engagement of our usual poster campaigns — and it generated calls from people enquiring about the organisation’s services.
What if prevention messaging against child sexual abuse rode the same wave of shareability and laughter?
- Maybe all we need is a meme
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Imagine consent tips, red-flag reminders and survivor stories packaged as snackable memes — each one begging to be remixed, retweeted or broadcast on every WhatsApp group.
Can we break the silence and dismantle stigma simply by meeting young people on the digital turf they already love?
In the attention economy of the internet, memes are the new billboards — highly engaging, instantly shareable, and effortlessly viral.
A 2023 HubSpot study found that meme-based content receives 48% more engagement on social media than traditional posts, while 42% of internet users aged 18-34 have shared a meme online, according to Statista.
These aren’t just jokes — they’re cultural currency, shaping how people process news, vent frustrations and spread ideas.
When Childline Zimbabwe adapted the meerkat meme to share the 116 Freephone number, the post cut through the digital noise — drawing 65% of its views from non-followers and earning more non-follower views and shares than anything the organisation had posted over the last two years, including reposts by government stakeholders.
It wasn’t humour that made light of trauma.
It was relatability that made people stop, reflect — and maybe, just maybe, reach for the phone.
Memes have become a universal language in contemporary culture, breaking through geographic and linguistic barriers.
They reflect the pulse of society — responding to collective emotions, current events and struggles in real time.
Digital marketers have already tapped into this: memes are now core tools for brand connection and youth engagement.
So, should prevention messaging follow suit?
I can’t help but wonder: if the generation most vulnerable to sexual abuse is also the one most fluent in memes, are we missing our chance by speaking in formats they no longer hear?
Maybe memes aren’t just digital distractions after all.
Maybe they’re the road we’ve overlooked, the one that may actually lead us to connection, conversation and the kind of culture shift that prevention requires.
Sceptics may say that memes trivialise trauma or humour has no place in abuse prevention.
Yet history shows otherwise: catchy jingles and light-hearted animations have powered HIV and malaria campaigns.
The aim isn’t to mock survivors, but to smash through apathy, spark conversations and embed help-seeking as part of our online routine.
Every viral meme offers a spark — brief, yes, but bright enough to light up timelines across continents.
So, what if we use that spark for something more lasting?
What if every remix, every repost, carried not just humour, but prevention?
We’ve seen it work.
When the message is right and the medium is familiar, young people don’t just scroll — they act.
So maybe the future of child protection isn’t only found in workshops or printed flyers.
Maybe it lives in a meme reshared a thousand times, in a caption that whispers, “You’re not alone.”
If non-governmental organisations, creatives, governments and young people joined forces on a #MeerkatWatch-style campaign — one that made prevention messages as viral as any punchline — what could we change in a month? In a year?
The meme may change, but the message remains the same: Every child has the right to safety and it is our responsibility as adults, communities and systems to prevent abuse before it happens.
Maybe then, the only thing trending will be a child’s right to grow up safe, seen and free from sexual violence.
