This past few months, beginning with the latter stages of the previous year, has seen the continent in a turmoil not quite seen before. In November last year, after the election in Cote D’Ivoire came to an inconclusive end, with the incumbent Laurent Gbagbo refusing to concede defeat to the man Alhassan Ouattara, who the international community mostly agree was the winner of the election, it had been generally thought and felt that with overwhelming support for the opposition leader it was only a matter of time before Mr. Gbagbo stood down and relinquished power. Five months on and he’s still holding on to power and much worse than that the country is heading towards what looks like a second civil war in a decade.
And then came the new year, 2011, the whole world was caught unawares with ousting of the Tunisian president, brought on by days of demonstration on the streets of the Tunisian capital, Tunis. As shocking and as quick a revolution as that was, it was only the beginning of a wave of unprecedented happenings that was about to sweep the entire region, with the biggest one taking place in Egypt. Now as mature as I’d like to think I am, I’ve only known one Egyptian leader and witnessed him in action, even if only on TV, and that was Mubarak. But he was to follow the trend of the Tunisian leader in an astonishing way.
Unlike Tunisia, Egypt was, is at the forefront of world affairs, playing major roles in the region, including the Israel-Palestine conflict, and well-acclaimed in the halls of the international community, Mubarak the man at helm of all this. So it was forgivable to think that the protests, populate by young people rocking the country was able to be resolved with a few concessions from the government and Mubarak staying on in power, what with the world, especially the US, caught in a dilemma as to whether to allow their trusted ally ejected and possibly replaced by an Islamic even if moderate one, or appear to be unsupportive of the will of the people. In the end however, the protesters did get what they want and the international community appeared to side with them.
And then there was Libya. Colonel Gaddafi has been in power for four decades, haven claimed power at the rather young age of 27. Far, far longer than I’ve been alive. And yet it seems I’ve known him for negative things, at least that which I’ve read and heard. Perceiving himself to be cast in the mould of Kwame Nkrumah, with the unity of this continent at the forefront of his desire, he was, until quite recently that is, viewed by the West as a psychotic, egotistic terrorist/dictator.
Well one thing is clear, as the “rebels” are finding out, Mr. Gaddafi will sink the country of Libya before he relinquishes power, and he’s made that clear and still doing so; churning out a strong, disproportionate response to the protesters turned “rebels”, leaving scores of innocent civilians dead, the international community all the while dilly-dallying on the issue.
In all the above-mentioned cases one thing is clear; young people are at the forefront of all this. In all of the cases mentioned, old people have relied on the strength and vitality of youth in the pursuit of whatever purpose, much more so in the Cote D’Ivoire case. Sitting before the TV each night to watch the news it bleeds my heart to see our young people in the neighbouring country being used as tools to hold on to or gain power by so-called leaders, “old and wise”. It bleeds my heart because unlike their fellows in Egypt and Tunisia, who stood up and demanded what was rightfully theirs, devoid of any political or religious ambition, this young people in Cote D’Ivoire wielding sticks and knives on the streets of Abidjan, are doing so only for the sustenance of a man who refuses to relinquish power after ten years of wielding it, and for another who hopes to step in.
It is not to the fulfilment of a broader socially acceptable goal that they allow themselves to be manipulated. Because it seems to me that beneficiaries of power come the end, would be whatever man is in power and his immediate family, whilst women and children and your everyday man with no passport become the sufferers should a civil war erupt. And yet continuously on this our continent and in some other part of the world, young people allow themselves to be brainwashed and used in ways that in the end bring nothing but hurt to the people in the society who cannot help but stay and suffer it.
To end, the main conclusion is this, young people can be an unstoppable force for good when their in control of their senses and will, but a scary prospect for anyone when they allow themselves to be manipulated by selfish leaders. Seeing that this a year for quite a number of elections on the continent, young people should be aware of what actions they take should something go wrong, and be aware of the wiles of these so-called leaders to manipulate them for personal ambition and gain.
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