Nikki Adebiyi, Founder, Bounce Black

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Today, I turn 31.

Birthdays often invite reflection, and as I step further into this decade, I find myself thinking less about milestones and more about meaning.

Over the years, I’ve worn many hats. Social entrepreneur. Community builder. Leader. Coach. Consultant. Writer. Speaker. Daughter. Sister. Friend. Advocate.

And perhaps above all else, someone who has tried to remain committed to truth, justice, integrity and human dignity, even when doing so has come at great personal cost.

Because the truth is that not all repression or even oppression announces itself loudly.

Sometimes it is quiet. Covert. Subtle. Insidious.

Sometimes it hides behind bureaucratic language.

Sometimes it borrows the language of “community safety”, “national security” or “watchfulness”.

And increasingly, as technology advances at breakneck speed, we must ask difficult questions about who is being watched, who is being targeted, who is being silenced, and who benefits.

The Future of Activism Will Depend on Whether We Recognise the New Faces of Repression

History teaches us that every era develops its own mechanisms of control.

What worries me is that many of today’s methods are invisible.

Artificial intelligence is one of humanity’s greatest tools. Used ethically, it can help us flourish.

Used irresponsibly, however, it can amplify surveillance, automate harassment, spread disinformation, and facilitate unprecedented abuses of power.

The rise of AI for ill is one of the defining human rights challenges of our generation.

And perhaps even more concerning is the way ordinary civilians can be unknowingly recruited into systems that harm innocent people.

Truth-tellers.

Whistleblowers.

Activists.

Victims reporting wrongdoing.

People leaving abusive relationships.

Witnesses to crime.

Victims of attempted trafficking or sexual violence.

People whose only “crime” was refusing to remain silent.

We should all be alarmed by any culture that encourages citizens to monitor, isolate, intimidate or persecute one another outside of due process and the rule of law.

Because injustice anywhere really is a threat to justice everywhere.

And increasingly, more people are finding themselves on the receiving end of retaliation for speaking up. I’m one of them!

We Need Serious Action, Not Performative Advocacy

This is not the time for Mickey Mouse activism.

This is not the season for only speaking when it is fashionable.

Or profitable.

Or safe.

Our predecessors in the struggle for justice did not have that luxury.

Human rights are not trends! They are principles.

The measure of our courage is not whether we speak when the crowd applauds, but whether we speak when silence would be easier.

Because the uncomfortable truth is that repression expands when good people assume it could never happen to them. Ask me how I know!

The Bigger Picture Matters

Individual testimonies matter because they reveal the human face of abuse.

Freedom of Information requests matter because they reveal the scale of abuse.

Patterns matter. Documentation matters. Accountability matters.

If people around the world are reporting similar experiences, we have a responsibility to investigate rather than dismiss.

Democracy depends on citizens who are willing to ask questions, and human rights depend on institutions that are willing to answer them.

Signs That Should Concern Us

We should all be wary of:

• Being encouraged to participate in campaigns of intimidation or humiliation against individuals.
• Pressure to monitor or report on people without clear legal reasoning and safeguards.
• Technologies that remove transparency or accountability.
• The weaponisation of mental health labels to discredit complainants.
• Retaliation against whistleblowers and victims.
• Attempts to isolate, discredit or economically punish people who speak up.
• Narratives that suggest some people deserve fewer rights because they are unpopular or inconvenient.

Remember, no society remains free by accident.

Freedom survives because ordinary people defend it. And now is the time to do just that!

My Birthday Wish

People have been asking me what I want for my birthday.

Honestly? The answer is simple: freedom.

Solidarity. Awareness. Justice. Compassion.

If you wanted to give me a gift, this would be my wishlist:

• Learn.
• Pay attention.
• Support those experiencing retaliation.
• Refuse to participate in dehumanisation.
• Record and report wrongdoing.
• Document evidence.
• Protect whistleblowers.
• Defend due process.

And remember that today’s target could be tomorrow’s witness, journalist, activist, neighbour, friend—or you.

The Kind of World I Want to Grow Older In

At 31, I don’t want a bigger platform for its own sake.

I want a freer world.

A world where technology serves humanity instead of controlling it.

A world where truth-tellers are protected instead of punished.

A world where justice is stronger than corruption. That is, a world where fusion centres do their job to protect their jurisdictions from real rather than falsified threats. That is, a world where policing and intelligence are not abused to facilitate revenge-for-hire to serve the “elite” class.

A world where dignity is not conditional.

A world where courage is contagious.

And a world where solidarity, truth and doing the right thing triumphs over fear.

Because freedom on God’s green earth was never meant to be a luxury. It is a birthright.

And outside of being rescued from this mess of a world by Christ Jesus himself, that true, God-given liberty is perhaps the greatest birthday gift I could receive.

Until I grasp it I wish to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has walked with me, prayed for me, encouraged me, and stood with me in these impossible circumstances.

The work continues. And so does the hope. Onwards!

— Nikki Adebiyi

Founder, Bounce Black

31 years young.