Africa is the youngest continent in the world, however, much of Africa’s political class is still dominated by older generations. Despite making up the majority of the population, younger Africans tend to just not be very politically engaged.
Despite younger African Africans being in the majority in our societies, our political class is almost always filled with people from much older generations. Despite the African continent having the youngest population in the world, many of our politicians are many decades older that the median age in our countries. According to the Wilson Centre, the median age across Africa is 19 years old however, the median age of Africa’s leaders is around 63 years old.
A few examples of this phenomenon, the current Presidents of Ivory Coast and Equatorial Guinea are currently both 81 years old. Zimbabwe’s current president Emmerson Mnangagwa is 80 years old. Cameroon’s president Paul Biya is currently a mind-boggling 91 years old, and there are many more examples of this phenomenon.
The reason behind this is that many younger Africans are simply uninterested is getting involved in politics in any way. The reasoning behind many young Africans lack of political engagement varies, such as:
- Disillusioned with the system
There are those who feel disillusioned with their country’s political climate, despite attempting to be more politically active. However, the lack of any concrete results leaves them feeling hopeless about effecting any reforms. It can be incredibly disheartening for younger generations, when they decide to get involved in politics and go out to vote, however, after seeing their preferred candidates, political parties and/or initiatives failing, they then become dejected with the political system and lose hope. They often begin to feel as if their vote has no real power.
- Lack an understanding of politics
There is also a group of younger Africans who lack an understanding of political and as a result prefer to not get involved. They may also have a feeling disillusioned with the political system, so they don’t even bother to learn or engage in any way, because they doubt they could even affect any change anyway.
It is important to highlight the role of African media in this as well. Another major reason younger Africans are uninterested is because it can often be difficult for them to find resources for them to better educate themselves on their country’s political dynamics. Therefore, the onus also falls on African media to produce informative content in a manner that is easily digestible for younger audiences.
- Uninterested in Politics
Then there is the cohort of younger Africans who simply feel uninterested in getting involved in politics period. They may see politics as something that is boring or not so influential in their lives, so they don’t get involved in politics at all. Typically, they would view the process of getting more politically engaged as burdensome. Moreover, they may dislike the (at times) negative emotions one may feel confronting their political realities, so they decide to avoid the topic entirely.
- Fear of reprisal
An unfortunate reality is that not every African country is a democracy. Therefore, they may be no real possibility of advocating for change, without the fear of potential violence, imprisonment, or loss of life at the hands of those in positions of power. In African countries with laws that prohibit dissent, despite being unhappy with the current state of affairs, younger Africans may just choose to not get involved in any kind of politics at all.
Although, some of the reasoning behind the lack of political engagement by younger Africans is understandable, especially in cases where one’s life may be put in danger as a result. However, it is worth emphasising that in order for any kind of change to come into effect, we have to be willing to educate ourselves and get involved in any way we can. If younger Africans made a concerted effort towards promoting real change, despite whatever setbacks may be faced, I’m confident we can work towards a more prosperous African continent.
