[This commentary is based on talk I gave at the
first annual University of California, Los Angeles Habesha
Student Association[1] Networking Night event held at
Ackerman Union on May 14, 2011.]
I have been asked to comment on youth political
apathy and how to transform apathy into constructive action. That is a very
tall order, but I am glad to be able to share with you my views on a subject
that has defied and puzzled political scientists and pundits for
generations.
The general allegation
is that young people are uninterested, unconcerned and indifferent about
matters of politics and government. Political apathy (crudely defined as lack
of interest and involvement in the political process and general passivity and
indifference to political and social phenomena in one’s environment) among
youth is said to be the product of many factors including lack of political
awareness and knowledge, absence of civic institutions that cultivate youth
political action and involvement and the prevailing cultural imperatives of
consumerism and the media. Simply stated, young people are said to be
self-absorbed, short attention-spanned and preoccupied and distracted by
popular culture, social networking, leisurely activities and the ordinary
demands of daily life to pay serious attention to politics.
Longitudinal studies of youth political apathy
in the U.S. suggest that many young people are politically disengaged because
they believe politics is about “money and lying and they don’t want to involve
themselves in it.” Many young Americans complain that politicians ignore young
people and have little youth-oriented communication. They accuse politicians of
being in the back pockets of big money and that their votes are inconsequential
in determining the outcome of any significant issues in society. Feeling
powerless, they retreat to cynicism and apathy.
In contrast, in the
1960s, young Americans led the “counter-culture revolution” and were the tips
of the spear of the Civil Rights Movement. The Free Speech Movement which began
at the University of California, Berkeley was transformed from student protests
for expressive and academic freedom on campus to a powerful nationwide anti-war
movement on American college campuses and in the streets. Young African
Americans advanced the cause of the Civil Rights Movement by employing the
powerful tools and techniques of civil disobedience staging sit-ins and
boycotts to desegregate lunch counters and other public accommodations. On
May 4, 1961, fifty years to the month today, young inter-racial Freedom Riders
set out to challenge local laws and customs that enforced segregation in public
transportation in the American South, and succeeded in eliminating racial
segregation in public transportation at considerable personal risk. Young
people in the Black Power Movement in the late 1960s demanded racial equality
dignity, economic and political self-sufficiency and advocated black nationalism.
A similar pattern of youth activism is evident
for African youths. In many African countries, students and other young people
have been in the vanguard of social forces demanding political changes.
University students in Ethiopia agitated and mobilized for the revolution that
overthrew the monarchy in 1974. It is ironic that the very individuals who hold
the reins of power in Ethiopia today were among those university students who
fought and died for democracy and human rights in the early 1970s. In 2005,
these former university students ordered a massacre which resulted in the
killing of at least 193 unarmed largely youth protesters and the wounding of
763 others. In 1976 in South Africa, 176 students and other young people
protesting apartheid were killed in Soweto. In recent months we have seen young
people leading nonviolent uprising in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and other countries
to remove decades-old dictatorships. In Uganda today, the young followers of KizzaBesigye, (Museveni’s challenger in the recent elections) are at the
center of the Walk to Work civil disobedience campaign protesting economic
hardships and a quarter century of Museveni’s
dictatorship.
The African Youth Charter
Africa has been
described as the “youngest region of the world”. The African youth population
is estimated to be 70 percent of the total population (nearly 50 percent of
them under age 15). Virtually 100 percent of the top political
leadership in Africa belongs to the “over-the-hill” gang. Robert Mugabe still
clings to power in Zimbabwe at age 86. It is manifestly hard to demand higher
levels of political participation and involvement among African youths when
they come of age in societies controlled and stifled by dictators long in the
tooth. But there is no question that youth apathy is the greatest threat to the
institution and consolidation of democracy in Africa.
There may be a glimmer
of hope for African youths in the African Union’s “Youth Charter”, which provides comprehensive protections for
Africa’s young people. Article 11 (“Youth Participation”) is of special
significance. It requires signatory states to ensure “every young person” has
the “right to participate in all spheres of society.” This requires state
parties to “guarantee the participation of youth in parliament and other
decision-making bodies”, access to “decision-making at local, national,
regional, and continental levels of governance” and requires “youth advocacy
and volunteerism” and peer-to-peer programmes for marginalised youth”. States are required to “provide access
to information such that young people become aware of their rights and of
opportunities to participate in decision-making and civic life”. Africa’s
youths should hold their doddering dictators accountable under the
Charter.
Transforming Youth Apathy Into
Youth Action?
I have no ready prescriptions to convert youth
apathy into youth action. My view of the issue is very simple. The word apathy
has roots in a Greek word “apathea” denoting lack of
emotion. Young people in America, Africa or elsewhere are apathetic because
they are “not fired up and raring to go.” They lack that “fire in the belly”.
They find themselves in a state of political paralysis unable to act. So, how
can African youth escape the political doldrums of apathy on a sea of cynicism,
pessimism, negativism and disillusionment? The short answer is that they need
to find the issues in society they care about and pursue them passionately. The
long answer revolves around a few basic principles:
Be idealistic. Robert Kennedy said, “There are those who look
at things and ask why. I dream of things and ask why not.” Nelson Mandela said,
“I dream of an Africa at peace with itself.” Bob Marley said, there will be no
peace until “the philosophy which hold one race
superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and
abandoned”, “there no longer are first class and second class citizens of any
nation” and “basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all.” Young Africas should dream of an Africa free from the bondage of
ethnic politics, scourge of dictatorship, debilitating poverty and flagrant
human rights violations. Why are these youthful dreams not possible? As Gandhi
said, when you are idealistic, “First they ignore you, then they ridicule you,
then they fight you, then you win.”
Examine your lives. When Socrates was put on trial for
encouraging his young students to question authority and accepted beliefs, he
said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” It is important for Africa’s
young people to question their beliefs and actions. If they are indifferent to
the suffering of their people, they should question themselves. Part of that
self-examination is knowing if one is doing the right
or wrong thing, and making corrections when mistakes are made. Unless we
question our values and actions, we end up doing things mechanically,
impulsively and blindly.
“Be the change you wish to see in the
world.” Gandhi said these simple
but powerful words. The revolution we want to see in the world begins with us
when we strive to relate to others on the basis of high moral and ethical
standards. If we want to see a just, fair and compassionate world, we must
begin by practicing those values ourselves. I want to congratulate the UCLA Habesha Student Association for bringing together young
Ethiopians and Eritreans in one organizational setting to work cooperatively
and harmoniously on issues of common interest and concern. Such collaboration
sets an extraordinary example for all young people in the Horn of Africa to
follow because the UCLA students have been able to relate with each other at
the most fundamental human level instead of as members of opposing camps
nursing historical enmities. It is a great mindset to be able to see beyond
ethnicity and national boundaries; and most importantly not to be sucked into
the vortex of historical grievances kept alive by the older generation.
Be
independent thinkers and empower yourselves. Always ask questions and follow-up questions.
One of the things those of us in the older generation do not do well is ask the
right questions. Often we do not base our opinions on facts. Africa’s young
people should think for themselves and creatively. The Buddha said, “We are
what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we
make the world.” It is easy and comfortable for others to do the thinking for
us. The alternative is for the older generation to do the thinking for the
youth. Do Africa’s youths want that? To think independently means to keep an
open mind and tolerate opposing viewpoints. Africa’s dictators fear young
independent thinkers because the young
trumpet the truth.
Stand for Something. Rosa Parks, the great icon of the American Civil
Rights Movement, is credited for modifying the old adage by saying: “Stand
for something or you will fall for anything. Today’s mighty oak is yesterday’s
nut that held its ground.” Young people of courage, character and determination
today are the seeds of great leaders tomorrow. Africa’s young people need to
take a stand for human rights, democracy, freedom and peace. They also need to
take a stand against all forms of violence, ethnic politics and the politics of
intolerance, hate and fear.
Network with other young people and learn
techniques of grassroots organizing. The UCLA HSA is committed to self-help through networking.
That is important and very useful. But networking can be used for political
activism and advocacy as well. Using technology and social media, young people
can create effective virtual and actual communities to enhance their political
participation and be more actively engaged in the political process. Grassroots
organizing is the most elementary and one of the most effective methods of
youth political action. Youth grassroots organizing won the day during the
Civil Rights Movement fifty years ago, and it won the day in Tunisia, Egypt,
Libya and Syria.
Become a voice for the voiceless. There are hundreds of millions of Africans
whose voices are stolen at the ballot box every year and remain forgotten as
political prisoners in the jails of Africa’s dictators. Corruption, abuse of
power, lack of accountability and transparency are the hallmarks of many contemporary African states. Young Africans must raise
their voices and be heard on these issues. The great international human rights
organizations are today the voices of the voiceless in Africa. They investigate
the criminality of African regimes and present their findings to the world.
Africa’s youths must take over part of the heavy lifting from these
organizations. It is not fair to expect international human rights
organizations to be the voice boxes of Africa’s masses.
Never give up. It is important for young people to appreciate
and practice the virtues of tenacity, courage, determination and perseverance.
In 1941, Winston Churchill speaking to young people at a school inspired them
with these timeless words: “Never give in. Never give in. Never,
never, never, never — in nothing, great or small, large or petty — never give
in, except to convictions of honour and good sense.
Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the
enemy.” Churchill’s words ring true for every generation of young people
everywhere. For Africa’s youth, the message is simple: “Never yield to
force.”
Cause looking for Rebels
If I have any words of
wisdom, it is that young Africans must rebel against apathy itself through a
process of self-examination. I believe a successful rebellion against one’s own
apathy will be the defining moment in the pursuit of the greatest cause of this
generation, the struggle for human rights. The cause of human rights in Africa
and elsewhere needs armies of young rebels to stand up in defense of human
dignity, the rule of law and liberty and against
tyranny and despotism. To stand up for free and fair elections is to stand up
for human rights. To fight for women’s rights is to fight for human rights. To
defend children’s rights is to defend human rights. To uphold human rights is
to uphold ethnic rights, religious rights, linguistic rights, free press
rights, individual rights….
Ralph Nader, the implacable American consumer
advocate warned: “To the youth of America, I say, beware of being trivialized
by the commercial culture that tempts you daily. I hear you saying often that
you’re not turned on to politics. If you do not turn on to politics, politics
will turn on you.” That can be said equally of African youths. I say defend
human rights, speak truth to power!
Think global, act local. Think local, act global.
[1]
The HSA “aims to bring together people of Ethiopian and Eritrean descent (a/k/a Habeshas) at UCLA “by jointly organizing and
sponsoring “cultural events, college workshops and community activities that
promote the success of Habeshas at UCLA and the
surrounding community.” It also aims to provide a “forum to discuss
issues, share ideas and simply connect on a peer-to-peer level.” I thank the
UCLA-HSA for the opportunity to dialogue with them.]
