Recent months have seen a series of protests against various African governments by the cohort of young people known as ‘Generation Z’ – who were protesting about bad governance, corruption, high inflation, unemployment, insecurity and simple hunger.
These protests featured mass action, the shutdown of economic activity, face-offs between protestors and security officials, hundreds of arrests, many deaths and the destruction of property. The main countries affected were Kenya, Uganda, and Nigeria.
The trouble started in Kenya where the protests were directed both against the tax increases proposed in the government’s Finance Bill, and against corruption.
Mass action started on 18 June, and on 25June protestors stormed the parliament building. About 50 people were killed and hundreds were detained. On 28 June the Finance Bill was withdrawn by the government, and President Ruto sacked his cabinet and the Chief of Police.
Emboldened by the Kenyan example, young Ugandans took to the streets on 23 July in protest at many of the same issues – legislative and governmental corruption, youth unemployment, and economic hardship. Even though President Museveni refused to give permission for the protests and threatened a tough response, young people were undeterred.
Also taking their cue from the Kenyan youths, young Nigerians came out on 1 August and protested for ten days under the hashtags #EndBadGovernance and #EndHunger. Recent months had seen the Naira sink very low against the US dollar, food price inflation had reached 40%, and the cost of petrol had almost tripled following the removal of the fuel subsidy.
In addition, there was gross corruption and obscene opulence on the part of the ruling elites, and a widening gap between rich and poor. There was a notably high level of participation in the protests in northern Nigeria due to the general insecurity there.
It should be noted that 70% of Africans are under 30 and many of these youths are unemployed. But Generation Z – who are roughly those born between the late 1990s and 2010 – are highly educated, energetic and tech savvy. They are angered by governments led by elderly men with a ‘sit tight’ attitude. And they see these leaders flaunt their wealth while they suffer poverty and hunger.
The rise of the internet and social media has helped to educate and galvanize young people. Never before has there been a generation so skilled in mass communication. So, protestors were able to make good use of AI to push their agenda and evade government censorship.
Although there was a powerful response to the protests, and great police brutality, the voice of Gen Z was heard. The full consequences of these protests have yet to be seen, but African leaders and governments have been warned that they ignore the needs of young citizens at their peril!
By Godfrey Selbar