Xenophobia was one of the biggest issues discussed in the global news media in the month of April.

And, many would say, rightly so.

Considering the scale of brutality that met foreigners in South Africa in the reprisals, concerned people have gone beyond the countries where the seven people – according to official figures – came from.

The conversation may have slackened a bit due to the nature of news that pushes one important issue into the background when fresher ones rear their heads.

However, the Global Shapers Accra Hub, a group of influential young people do not want the fire of the discussion to dim.

“Africa needs us all, man and woman, boy and girl, hand in hand,” notes Yawa Hansen-Quao, a member of the group tells Joy News.

The Global Shapers Accra Hub have a popular monthly session called the Accra Discourse, which usually attracts a crowd of 70-100 on the first Monday of every month.

“We usually invite a guest speaker knowledgeable in a particular area to shed light on an issue of interest. This month, we’re doing xenophobia,” says Aisha Ayensu, another member of the hub.

This month’s Accra Discourse happens on Monday, May 4 at the La Villa Boutique Hotel in Accra.

But why is a discourse on South Africa important to Ghanaians who are many miles away from the killings?

Beryl Agyekum, a hub member, offers her view: “We may not be government but each of us runs a small country around us. Don’t act like it’s in far away South Africa. You are South Africa.”

Native South Africans will on hand to share their views and perspectives on why their country continues to face challenges in dealing with foreigners.

The Shapers tell Joy News that the event will be free to all.

“We would like to note that this conversational is social as well, so we’re looking to have a simultaneous social media interaction with our many followers on Twitter and Facebook, both in Ghana and South Africa,” says Gary Al-Smith, the Hub's Curator.

Meet the 15

The young people in charge of this event are from backgrounds as diverse as nursing, farming, technology, education, fashion, media and more.

But they say their goal is to project a unified voice that echoes loudly in the corridors of hate everywhere in the world.

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