A seat at the table YOUTH DEMAND: Africa's young achievers - the United Nations

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A seat at the table YOUTH DEMAND: Africa's young achievers - the United Nations
April 2018 - July 2018                   www.un.org/africarenewal

                                   YOUTH DEMAND:
                                   A seat at
                                   the table
                                   Africa’s young
                                        achievers

                                Bringing rural women
                                      to the frontline

                                 Mission accomplished:
                         Peacekeeping success in Liberia
A seat at the table YOUTH DEMAND: Africa's young achievers - the United Nations
CONTENTS                                                                                                                 April 2018 - June 2018 | Vol. 32 No. 1

                                       4 SPECIAL FEATURE
                                        COVER STORY
                                       African youth demand a seat at the table
  6     The hashtag revolution gaining ground
  8     Nurturing young leaders
 10     Interview: Jayathma Wickramanayake, UN youth envoy
 12     Music: Nigeria’s popular artistic exports chart a new path
 14     Profile: Raphael Obonyo                                                                                 Women promote non-violence during the 2011 elec-
                                                                                                                tions in Liberia. UNMIL/Emmanuel Tobey
 15     Profile: Phumzile Van Damme
 16     Profile: William Elong
 17     Profile: Eric Kaduru
 18     Profile: Gwendolyn Myers
 19     Profile: Gogontlejang Phaladi                                                                           Acting Editor-in-Chief
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE                                                                                              Zipporah Musau

 20     Interview: Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, UN Women executive director                                          Acting Managing Editor
 22     The UN’s new era of partnership with Africa                                                             Kingsley Ighobor

 24     Mission accomplished: 15 years of peacekeeping success in Liberia                                       Staff Writer
 26     Interview: Lt. Gen. Daniel Opande, first force commander, UNMIL                                         Franck Kuwonu

 28     Women: Liberia’s guardians of peace
                                                                                                                Research & Media Liaison
 29     Africa could be the next frontier for cryptocurrency                                                    Pavithra Rao
 30     Cape Town water taps running dry                                                                        Shu Zhang
                                                                                                                Yinying Lin
 32     South African tourism holding steady
DEPARTMENTS                                                                                                     Design & Production
  3 Watch                                                                                                       Paddy D. Ilos, II

 35 Books                                                                                                       Administration
 35 Appointments                                                                                                Dona Joseph

Cover photo: Tanzanian youth atcivist, Rahma Mwita Abdallah makes a point at an international
                                                                                                                Distribution
youth forum at the UN headquarters in New York.   Africa Renewal/Shu Zhang
                                                                                                                Atar Markman
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2     AfricaRenewal       April 2018 - July 2018
A seat at the table YOUTH DEMAND: Africa's young achievers - the United Nations
AFRICA WATCH                                                                                                          QUOTABLES

                                                                                                 UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
                                                                                                                      Women and youth are the
                                                                                                                      pathbreakers and pillars
                                                                                                                      for the realization of the
A farmer harvests wheat in Chichaoua Province, Morocco.   Alamy/Jake Lyell
                                                                                                                      African Union’s vision for
                                                                                                                      an ‘integrated, prosperous
Morocco:                                          and Agricultural Organization (FAO) ”
                                                                                                                      and peaceful Africa.’
                                                                                                                      Bience Gawanas, Under-Secretary-
                                                  representative in Morocco and the current
Climate change                                    coordinator of the FAO Subregional Office
                                                                                                                      General of the United Nations and
                                                                                                                      Special Adviser on Africa
                                                  for North Africa. “It has played a determi-
efforts bear fruit                                                                                                    No one loses when women
                                                                                see page 34                           and girls experience equality
By Yinying Lin
                                                                                                                      and empowerment.
                                                                                                                      Paul Kagame , President of Rwanda

M     orocco’s climate change adaptation
      plan, launched in 2008, is now bear-
ing fruit, says the United Nations.
                                                  Migration within Africa                                             We must rid ourselves of
                                                                                                                      this colonial mentality that
    The UN’s special rapporteur on the
right to food, Hilal Elver, says that the plan
Maroc vert (PMV) or the Green Morocco
                                                  I nternational migration, especially from
                                                    Africa to Europe and elsewhere, usually
                                                  gets negative publicity. Can anything
                                                                                                                      demands we rely on other
                                                                                                                      people’s currency.
Plan has resulted in an increase in agri-         good come out of migration?                                         Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South
                                                                                                                      Africa
cultural productivity, although she urged         mmYes, according to a new report to
the country to provide more widespread            be launched in May 2018 by the United
support for small-scale farmers.                  Nations Conference on Trade and Devel-                              If you don’t have a seat at
    The PMV focuses on moderniz-                  opment (UNCTAD). Intra-African migra-                               the table, you will sit on the
ing large-scale farms with high added             tion, if properly managed, can contribute                           floor.
value, supporting small-scale farms and           greatly to the continent’s development by                           Gogontlejang Phaladi, Botswanan
combating rural poverty. Since 2008,              boosting trade, generating jobs, promot-                            youth activist
Morocco has invested about 150 billion            ing entrepreneurship and innovation and
dirhams ($16.3 billion) in more than 700          reducing poverty.                                                   We hope that 2018 will be
projects on mechanization, irrigation and             The Economic Development in Africa                              the year when Africa makes
soil fertilization, while it is expected to       Report 2018, subtitled Migration and                                history because it signed the
invest another 20 billion dirhams (US$2.1         Structural Transformation, focuses on                               African Continental Free
billion) over the coming years in 550 com-        how host and home countries on the con-                             Trade Area.
munity projects, according to data from           tinent can better harness the economic                              Vera Songwe,
the country’s Ministry of Economy and             benefits of intra-African migration.                                executive secre-
                                                                                                                      tary, Economic
Finance.                                              According to the UNCTAD report,
                                                                                                                      Commission
    “The Plan Maroc Vert has created an           most migration in Africa occurs within                              for Africa
irreversible momentum without prece-              the continent—and yields significant ben-
dent,” says Michael Hage, the former Food         efits for the continent and its people.

                                                                                                AfricaRenewal                      April 2018 - July 2018   3
A seat at the table YOUTH DEMAND: Africa's young achievers - the United Nations
African youth are relying on technology and improved leadership and organising skills to
mobilise for social change and to demand a seat at the table. In this edition, we explore
the factors driving the continent’s emerging young leaders and why they are increasingly
influential in society.

    YOUTH LEADERSHIP
African youth participate at an international youth forum at the UN headquarters in New York.   Africa Renewal/Shu Zhang

African youth demand a seat at the table
Voices of young Africans are becoming difficult to ignore
BY BUSANI BAFANA

A
              new wave is sweeping across           And here I am, the youngest MP. And I’m            Tunisia, Morocco, Cameroon, Zambia,
              Africa. Elections on the conti-       so proud of what I am,” Ms. Oromait told           Tanzania, Uganda and others. And the
              nent are increasingly yielding        the UK’s Independent newspaper in an               August 2018 presidential election could
              younger leadership than ever          interview.                                         give Zimbabwe’s political leadership a
before. From presidents to ministers and                In South Africa, Lindiwe Mazibuko,             youthful makeover.
governors, senators to members of parlia-           37, was elected leader of the opposition               Forty-year-old Nelson Chamisa, the
ment, Africa’s young people are demanding           in parliament in 2011, representing the            new leader of the opposition Movement
a seat at the political table.                      Democratic Alliance. She became the first          for Democratic Change, is angling to be
    The youth are using their large num-            black woman to hold that position. “There          Zimbabwe’s new leader. Were Mr. Chamisa
bers to vote in younger leaders or leaders          is no prosperity for our continent without         to win, he would be one of Africa’s youngest
they feel will be sympathetic to their plight.      a vibrant, diverse and truly competitive           democratically elected presidents.
    In Uganda, Proscovia Oromait was only           politics, founded upon excellence, trans-              Sixty percent of Zimbabwe’s 5.3 mil-
19 in 2012 when she became the world’s              parency and commitment to the public               lion registered voters in the watershed
youngest MP, representing Usuk County               good,” Ms. Mazibuko said in a TEDxEuston           elections are under 40, according to the
in the Katakwi District. “What I said when          talk in January 2016.                              Zimbabwe Electoral Commission. It is a
I was younger was that in years to come, I              There are more young leaders coming            show of commitment by the youth to decid-
will become the president. It’s just been           up in parliaments in Nigeria, Ghana, Cote          ing a new course of governance after the
my dream to become a leader of Uganda.              d’Ivoire, Kenya, South Africa, Egypt,              leadership of Robert Mugabe.

4     AfricaRenewal     April 2018 - July 2018
A seat at the table YOUTH DEMAND: Africa's young achievers - the United Nations
Mr. Mugabe, 94, was Africa’s oldest           adds Mr. Dlamini, who is the chair of Times   translates to poorer living conditions, fuels
leader until he resigned as president in         Media Group of South Africa and head          migration out of Africa, and contributes
November last year, having ruled for 37          of Massmart, a retailer affiliated with       to conflict on the continent itself,” notes
years.                                           Walmart in the US.                            the AfDB.
                                                     “They [youth] are young entrepre-             The AfDB adds that “the desired long-
A young voice                                    neurs, innovators, scientists, academics,     term outcome is expanded economic
In a recent interview with the German radio      engineers, professionals. They do not want    opportunity for both male and female Afri-
station Deutsche Welle, Mr. Chamisa said,        aid or charity. They want to unleash their    can youth, which leads to improvements in
“It is young people who are the movers and       full potential,” said Mr. Dlamini, who was    other aspects of their lives.”
shakers. We want to also see that in politics.   named “Young Global Leader” in 2008 by            The bank therefore aims to create 25
We want our continent to be painted young.       the World Economic Forum, a recognition       million jobs through its Jobs for Youth in
We want our continent to have a young            accorded “higher-performing leaders” who      Africa Strategy (2016–2025) and spur eco-
voice.”                                          mentor other youth.                           nomic growth by empowering the youth to
     In a 2015 article for CNN, David E.             Africa’s population will be 1.6 billion   realize their full potential.
Kiwuwa, an associate professor of inter-         by 2030, according to the UN Depart-
national studies at Princeton University         ment of Economic and Social Affairs, and      Disrupting the status quo
in the US, notes that “the average age of        the rapidly growing youth population will     African youth are demanding a seat at the
the ten oldest leaders [in Africa] is 78.5                                                     political table, but the agribusiness sector,
compared to 52 for the world’s ten most-                                                       which could be worth $1 trillion by 2030,
developed economies.”                                                                          according to the World Bank, is the low-han-
     On average, according to Mr. Kiwuwa,                                                      ging fruit.
“only between 15% and 21% of [these Afri-                                                          The African Agribusiness Incubator
can countries’] citizens were born when                                                        Network (AAIN), a business development
these presidents took the reins.”                                                              company based in Accra, Ghana, wants
     Some Africans argue that “with age and                                                    youth to innovate and lead the continent’s
longevity in office come wisdom, foresight                   Lindiwe Mazibuko, 37,             economic transformation.
and experience,” Mr. Kiwuwa writes. He                was elected leader of the Democratic         Ralph von Kaufmann, an agribusiness
further posits that, given opportunities in             Alliance in 2011 in South Africa       mentor and consultant with AAIN, says
politics and other sectors, Africa’s youth                                                     that “agribusiness presents opportunities
can transform the continent. He regrets                                                        for youths and women, but there is a need
that the long tenures of older politicians                                                     to create the right policies that facilitate
continue to stifle the emergence of credible                                                   their participation.”
youthful successors.                                                                               Nthabiseng Kgobokoe, a young live-
     Innocent Batsani Ncube, a 39-year-old                                                     stock and horticulture farmer in South
Zimbabwean political scholar, echoes Mr.                                                       Africa, told Africa Renewal that the first
Kiwuwa’s sentiments, stressing that youth                                                      step must be to “include the youth in
rarely get the attention of Africa’s political                                                 policy making. Education alone cannot
leaders, who do not believe young people            Proscovia Oromait of Uganda was only       address all our issues; there is a need to
can lead.                                              19 in 2012 when she became the          create conducive political and economic
     Older political elites believe they have                 world’s youngest MP              conditions for us to be successful young
all the solutions to development chal-                                                         entrepreneurs.”
lenges, Mr. Ncube told Africa Renewal.           constitute 42% of that number. The youth          Ms. Kaobokoe said young entrepre-
“An example is the approach that those in        will need opportunities to participate        neurs across Africa face similar challenges,
leadership use to solve young people’s job       in politics, jobs and overall inclusion in    including a lack of access to financing and
problems. Their solutions mostly suit the        development.                                  other resources, red tape and inadequate
elites, rather than the young people. There          The African Development Bank (AfDB)       policies to foster inclusive growth.
is limited consultation in ideation between      says that one-third of Africa’s 420 million       Policy makers forget that youth are the
the youth and the older leaders.”                youths (those ages 15–35) are unemployed,     backbone of any socioeconomic and politi-
     Youth need a seat on the transforma-        another third are vulnerably employed and     cal development, stresses Ms. Kgobokoe.
tion train because of their energy and           only one in six young people is gainfully         Talented young people must step for-
passion, argues Kuseni Dlamini in a paper        employed.                                     ward and be part of decision making, says
published in 2013 by Ernst & Young, a UK-            “While 10 to 12 million youths enter      Ms. Mazibuko. “We [in Africa] are emerg-
based professional services firm.                the workforce each year [in Africa], only     ing from that stereotype of a dark conti-
     “The single most important factor for       3.1 million jobs are created, leaving vast    nent, the hopeless continent.... We must
continental growth is the energy and pas-        numbers of youth unemployed. The conse-       run for office, we must work in the civil
sion of young Africans who have a palpable       quences of youth unemployment in Africa       service and we must disrupt the political
sense of positive energy and optimism,”          are pervasive and severe: unemployment        status quo.”

                                                                                                  AfricaRenewal   April 2018 - July 2018   5
A seat at the table YOUTH DEMAND: Africa's young achievers - the United Nations
YOUTH LEADERSHIP

The hashtag revolution gaining ground
Africa’s millennials are using technology to drive change
BY ELENI MOURDOUKOUTAS

W
                   hen some 276 teenage         large numbers of society very quickly and
                   girls were kidnapped         differently from what you would do when
                   from their boarding          you had to go to the streets or knock on
                   school in northeastern       doors or put up flyers.”
Nigeria in April 2014, Oby Ezekwesili, a            Young people’s political activism prob-
civil society activist and former World         ably safeguarded the integrity of the 2016
Bank vice president, was disheartened by        election in The Gambia. They began using
the lacklustre response of her government       the hashtag #GambiaHasDecided when
and local television stations.                  former president Yahya Jammeh refused
    Ms. Ezekwesili and others decided to        to vacate his office and hand over power
take to social media to demand action from      after suffering electoral defeat. In addi-
the government. They emphasized their           tion to spreading the word over Facebook,
point with a march to the national assembly     Twitter and Instagram, the anti-Jammeh
in the capital, Abuja.                          campaign also encouraged citizens to wear
    Within three weeks, the “Bring Back         T-shirts bearing the slogan.
Our Girls” campaign put the girls’ kidnap-          “Social media has forever changed the
ping front and centre on the world stage:       dynamics of politics in Africa,” Raffie Diab,
the Twitter hashtag had been used over one      one of the campaign’s founding leaders, told
million times, including by notable influ-      Africa Renewal.
encers former US first lady Michelle Obama          In October 2014, young people organ-
and girls’ rights activist and Nobel laureate   ised over social media against Blaise
Malala Yousafzai. The grassroots move-          Compaoré, then president of Burkina
ment proved instrumental in pressuring the      Faso, who was planning to change
Nigerian government to acknowledge the          the constitution to allow him to
kidnapping and to commit more resources         run for another two terms, thereby
to rescuing the girls.                          extending his 27-year tenure.
                                                    The emergence of the movements
Technology and young people                     Ça suffit (That’s Enough) and Le balai
Beginning with the Arab Spring in 2011,         citoyen (the Citizen’s Broom) marked
young Africans have been using techno-          the first time since the Arab Spring that
logy to mobilise around issues affecting        popular movements managed to unseat
them. Images of young Africans assembled        an African president.
in protest, mobilising around hashtags, are
now commonplace on Twitter, Facebook            Driving transparency
and other social media platforms.               Likewise, young people in Senegal have
    Professor Alcinda Honwana, inter-           drawn attention to the country’s high
regional advisor on social development          unemployment rate over social media, and
policy at the United Nations Department         their protests galvanised the population to
for Economic and Social Affairs, cites the      vote out President Abdoulaye Wade in the
immediacy of social media as a key factor       2012 election.
in mobilising large numbers of people and           Just as citizens broadcast the abuses of
catalysing change.                              government with video and photographic
    “Without the internet and social media,     evidence during the Arab Spring, Afri-
it would be very difficult to organise a huge   ca’s younger generation is taking
rally in 48 hours,” Prof. Honwana told Africa   advantage of tech-based strate-
Renewal in an interview. Social media ena-      gies to drive accountability and
bles organizers to have a major impact on       transparency.
society, she said, “because you can assemble

6    AfricaRenewal    April 2018 - July 2018
A seat at the table YOUTH DEMAND: Africa's young achievers - the United Nations
One example of this is Livity Africa, a     anyone can get detailed information on the       leading pan-African youth development
South Africa–based nonprofit organisation      record of a public official.                     network. It adds that, “Instead, increas-
whose aim is to amplify authentic youth            African leaders themselves are also now      ing reports reflect that young people use
voices and concerns, in part through its       using technology to attract young people to      these virtual spaces as platforms for cyber
nationwide media channel, “Live Maga-          their campaigns.                                 bullying, violence and intimidation.” The
     zine” SA. Launched in 2011, the chan-         Voters under the age of 35 made up 51%       association maintains that this is “an age
          nel highlights issues that are       of the entire electorate in the 2017 election    of unprecedented access to explicit images
             overlooked by mainstream          in Kenya, and the number of voters in the        and videos” that can have a harmful influ-
                media, and it encourages       26–35 age range had more than doubled            ence on the youth.
                   government accounta-        since 2013, according to data from the elec-         In 2016, the African Development
                      bility via its weekly    toral commission.                                Bank, a multilateral development finance
                        “Live from Parlia-         Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta              institution, reported that by 2050 Africa
                         ment” segment.        maintains active Facebook and Twitter            will be home to 38 of the 40 youngest
                              Similarly,       accounts, and his supporters say his modern      countries in the world, and that all 38 will
                          the      Nigeria-    communication tactics are “demystifying          have median populations under 25 years
                         based SMS and         the presidency.”                                 of age. Experts believe that the youth vote
                         web platform              In an unprecedented break from his           will determine election outcomes in a few
                         “Shine Your Eye”      predecessor Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s            years.
                         facilitates public    new president Emmerson Mnangagwa has                 Campaigns encouraging young people
                         engagement            wasted no time in engaging directly with         to vote span the continent. In 2014, South
                         with parliamen-       Zimbabweans over social media, regu-             Africa’s electoral commission launched
                        tarians and other      larly posting comments on Facebook that          the “I Voted” campaign, which encouraged
                       elected officials by    address concerns raised by his constitu-         voters to take a picture of their marked
                     providing access to       ents. Mr. Mugabe famously did not own a          thumb and post on social media with the
                  their track records. By      smartphone.                                      hashtag #IVoted. The hashtag boasted
               sending a free SMS mes-             Mr. Mnangagwa is gaining popularity          more than 30,000 uses on Twitter.
           sage to the platform’s dedi-        for posting short videos on his Facebook
       cated number or visiting its website,   and Twitter accounts in which he encour-         Not a cure-all
                                               ages citizens to message their thoughts as       However, Prof. Honwana warns that social
                                               part of a “new national dialogue,” main-         media is not a cure-all for apathy. In the
                                               taining that leadership is a “two-way            case of South Africa, the national South
                                               street.” The digital approach is exciting        African statistical service reported that
                                               many Zimbabweans who are eager to get            young people accounted for only 18% of
                                               the president’s attention.                       total voters in the 2016 local government
                                                   While young people in recent years have      elections, despite those under the age of
                                               become the most politically engaged on           35 making up 66% of the total population.
                                               the continent, their involvement has been            She asserts that while social media can
                                               primarily through protests and activism          be a useful tool for conveying the impor-
                                               rather than voting.                              tance of voting, young people will not take
                                                                                                up ballots over mobile devices unless they
                                               Negative effects                                 believe that their votes will bring about
                                               Youth engagement with social media also          real change in their lives.
                                               has its negative effects. “Sadly, [social]           In the 2016 presidential election in the
                                                                                media is        Gambia, for instance, young people largely
                                                                                not             supported Adama Barrow, who challenged
                                                                              often used        Mr. Jammeh, because they thought Mr.
                                                                             wisely by          Barrow would bring about a change in
                                                                            youth,” notes       governance. “I just know Barrow will be
                                                                           the    Africa        different. He’s listening to us,” 25-year-
                                                                         Alliance of the        old Gambian voter Haddy Ceesay told The
                                                                      Young Men Chris-          Guardian, a UK-based newspaper.
                                                                   tian Association, a              Still, Prof. Honwana does not see social
                                                                                                media as just a trend. “If we are talking
                                                                                                about young people, I think everything
                                                                                                that will happen from now on is going to
                                                         Young people are using technology to   be through social media. That’s where they
                                                        change society.     Alamy/Shakirov      live,” she said.

                                                                                                   AfricaRenewal   April 2018 - July 2018   7
A seat at the table YOUTH DEMAND: Africa's young achievers - the United Nations
YOUTH LEADERSHIP
Students at the African Leadership University in Mauritius.   ALU website                                                   MO IBRAHIM

Nurturing young leaders
                                                                                                                            FOUNDATION
                                                                                                                             WINNERS

Training young African leaders can take societies to great heights
BY FRANCK KUWONU

T
          hanks to a unique fellowship at the United                Eddy Oketch, the seventh of eight siblings, who
          Nations Economic Commission for Africa                dropped out of school to provide for his family, parlayed
          (ECA) as an Ibrahim Leadership Fellow,                his intuitive organizing ability into an Ibrahim fellow-
          Marian Yinusa is making an impact in the lives        ship in 2017.
of school-age girls in her birthplace of northern Nigeria.          Carl Manlan, who was a fellow in 2014, remembers, “I
    Currently a senior financial economist at the Africa        shadowed [the work of senior officials] and was in most
Development Bank (AfDB), Ms. Yinusa also runs the               of the ECA executive secretary’s meetings.”
GENN Initiative (Girls Education in Northern Nigeria)               Mr. Manlan currently heads the Ecobank Founda-           Ellen Sirleaf
foundation, which pays for young girls to go to school.         tion, the charitable arm of the West African retail and          (2018)
    She would probably say her many accomplishments             investment bank with headquarters in Lomé, Togo. After
were a surprise—even to her!—yet she was strongly               his fellowship, Mr. Manlan served as executive secretary
motivated to help girls break the barriers keeping them         of the Africa against Ebola Solidarity Trust, a charity
from school. “I wanted to do something about it,” she           that partnered with the African Union between 2014
told Africa Renewal.                                            and 2015 to mobilise funds to train and deploy African
    While at the ECA in Addis Ababa, she followed keenly        health workers to help fight Ebola in Guinea, Liberia and
the day-to-day work of senior officials, which led to more      Sierra Leone.
responsibility and a promotion at her job.                          Aside from the Ibrahim leadership fellowship,
    According to the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, sponsor             prominent leadership training initiatives for young
of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation Leadership Fellowship              Africans include the African Leadership Initiative, the
Program, the purpose of the program is to mentor future         African Leadership Institute, the Young African Lead-
African leaders by offering them an opportunity to work         ers Initiative, the African Leadership Development
at the highest levels of the AfDB, the ECA or the Interna-      Program, the Africa Science Leadership Programme
tional Trade Centre (ITC).                                      and the African Leadership Academy (ALA).
    Ms. Yinusa is one of 18 fellows so far to benefit from          ALA is a pan-African high school based in Johannes-      Hifikepunye
the leadership programme. She describes her experience          burg, South Africa, where more than 700 students from         Pohamba
as “learning by observation.”                                   45 countries have received training in the past 10 years.       (2014)

8     AfricaRenewal     April 2018 - July 2018
A seat at the table YOUTH DEMAND: Africa's young achievers - the United Nations
“Africa does not need lead-         problems usually put the spotlight                                  in Kigali and New York. She par-
ers who are 75 or 65 years old.         on the continent’s inadequate elec-                                 ticipated at the World Economic
We need leaders who are young‚          tric power, deep and entrenched                                     Forum in 2011 as a Young Global
vibrant‚ innovative and who the         poverty, insufficient or underpay-                                  Leader, and now juggles legal prac-
continent’s youth can relate to,”       ing jobs and slow pace of industri-                                 tice with other jobs. Yet she feels
declared Graça Machel, widow of         alization—and on ways to mobilize                                   Africa does not provide enough
South Africa’s iconic anti-apart-       resources to address these chal-                                    leadership development opportu-
heid fighter Nelson Mandela, at         lenges. There is a need for good                                    nities for young professionals.
the celebration of the 10th anni-       leadership, said Sam Adeyemi, a
versary of ALA in Johannesburg          leadership consultant, during an                                    Nudging the elders
in February.                            online debate at the World Eco-                                     In addition to formal leadership
    The Sudanese billionaire entre-     nomic Forum on Africa 2017.                                         training programmes, Africa’s
preneur and philanthropist Mo Ibra-                                                                         current leaders also need to
him has decried the entrenchment of     Educate, observe and learn                                          contribute to the development of
aging African leaders who sideline      Contributing to the same debate,                                    the young by demonstrating good
younger generations, fighting tooth     Mr. Swaniker remarked that “great           Pedro Pires             leadership skills, analysts say.
                                                                                      (2011)
and nail to hang on to power when       leaders aren’t born—they’re made,”                                      In February former Liberian
they’re past their prime.               and added that the deliberate train-                                president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
    Fred Swaniker, a leadership         ing of “leaders who take societies to                               won the Mo Ibrahim Prize for
development expert and cofounder        great heights” is what makes most                                   Achievement in African Lead-
of ALA, says he established the acad-   nations successful. Both speakers                                   ership for leading her country’s
emy because his experience growing      repeatedly mentioned a need to                                      recovery, through reconciliation
up in countries such as his native      ramp up leadership training for                                     and nation-building, after years
Ghana, the Gambia, Botswana,            young Africans.                                                     of bloody conflict.
South Africa and Zimbabwe made              In retrospect, both leadership                                      Launched in 2006, the prize
him realize the difference that edu-    training beneficiaries, Ms. Yinusa                                  is meant to promote good gov-
cated leadership makes in a country.    and Mr. Manlan, believe that hands-                                 ernance and peaceful political
                                        on experience at multinational                                      transitions by recognizing and
Leaders of tomorrow                     organizations benefited them as                                     celebrating African presidents
He chastises post-independence          young professionals. Mr. Manlan                                     who, according to the Mo Ibra-
leaders who “brought nothing but        says the fellowship equipped him                                    him Foundation, “have developed
havoc to Africa,” but praises lead-     with the requisite knowledge and                                    their countries and strengthened
ers such as Paul Kagame of Rwanda       experience to shoulder increasing                                   democracy and human rights” and
and the late Nelson Mandela of          managerial duties at the interna-                                   are “exceptional role models for
South Africa who he says have pro-      tional level. He would therefore like                               the continent.”
vided purposeful leadership for         other institutions to provide more         Festus Mogae                 Ms. Sirleaf handed over power
their countries.                        such programmes.                               (2008)               to 51-year-old George Weah in
    Mr. Swaniker envisions a gen-           Jacqueline Musiitwa, who                                        January.
eration of young African leaders who    received a fellowship at ITC in 2012,                                   But there appears to be a
will be able to create prosperity.      now heads the Ugandan branch of                                     dearth of exceptional political
    The Mo Ibrahim Foundation’s         Financial Sector Deepening, a UK                                    leadership; over a decade of its
Leadership Fellowship and ALA           government-funded financing pro-                                    existence, except for Mr. Mandela,
address leadership training differ-     gramme for reducing poverty in                                      who was given an honorary award,
ently. The six-year-old fellowship      sub-Saharan Africa. Having previ-                                   only five leaders have met the
doesn’t involve academic training       ously attended many short leader-                                   prize’s criteria: Ms. Sirleaf (2018),
or seminars.                            ship programmes and seminars,                                       Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique
    With a goal of making the youth     she “immediately jumped” at the                                     (2007), Festus Mogae of Botswana
of today the leaders of tomor-          opportunity to go to ITC. “Of all the                               (2008), Pedro Pires of Cabo Verde
row, ALA is setting up a network        training that I attended, this was the                              (2011) and Hifikepunye Pohamba
of leadership colleges across the       only one that offered real-life profes-                             of Namibia (2014).
continent, and hopes to train           sional experience, and it’s the best so                                 Between academic training
three million young African lead-       far,” she says.                                                     championed by ALA and real-
ers over the next 50 years, Mr.             Ms. Musiitwa had trained as a                                   life experience advanced by the
Swaniker says. The first campus         lawyer and in 2007 founded the Hoja                                 Ibrahim leadership fellowship,
was opened in Mauritius in 2015         Law Group, a legal consultancy on                                   there appears to be “room for a
and the second in Rwanda in 2017.       corporate governance, commercial          Joaquim Chissano          lot more” efforts at training young
                                                                                       (2007)
     Those discussing Africa’s          and public law issues that operates                                 leaders, Ms. Musiitwa says.

                                                                                                     AfricaRenewal    April 2018 - July 2018   9
A seat at the table YOUTH DEMAND: Africa's young achievers - the United Nations
INTERVIEW

Youth can be agents
of positive change
— Jayathma Wickramanayake, UN youth envoy

J   ayathma Wickramanayake, 27, from Sri Lanka, is the new UN Secretary-General’s
    Envoy on Youth. Her role is to expand the UN’s youth engagement and advocacy
efforts. She also serves as an adviser to the Secretary-General. Shortly after her extensive
tour of the Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa in February, she sat down
with Africa Renewal’s Zipporah Musau to discuss her mission. Excerpts:

Africa Renewal: You have just come back
from a mission to five countries in Africa.     What did they tell you were their main
How was it?                                     concerns?
Jayathma: It definitely exceeded my             Young people voiced concerns about lack
expectation! I did not have much exposure       of access to education, unemployment,
to Africa before I took up this job, because    migration, and young women’s sexual and          YOUTH LEADERSHIP
my work was mainly in my home country           reproductive health. These were the core
[Sri Lanka], working with youth. So, I never    issues discussed in all five countries I
really before now had the opportunity go        visited.                                       due to teenage pregnancy. Female genital
to Africa and interact with young people,                                                      mutilation is another big issue.
even though I have friends from the region.     Can you expound a bit on these issues?             On migration: Due to lack of oppor-
                                                On education: the main concern is access       tunities for young people, many of them
Why did you choose Africa and how did           to education, but not just any education,      risk their lives crossing the Sahara and
it start?                                       but quality education. There is a study that   Mediterranean Sea to get to Italy or other
UNFPA - the United Nations Population           shows that about 30% of the skills acquired    countries to look for better opportunities.
Fund, approached me with this wonder-           in 2015 will not be relevant by 2020. So, in   Many die in this process of trying to take
ful proposal of a multi-country mission to      such a rapidly changing world, what should     this extreme path.
Africa. Then a few days before I travelled,     we teach in our schools? Do we teach the
my office sent out a tweet announcing the       usual subjects or do we focus more on          What is your office doing to help these
trip and the response was amazing. Upon         skills-development? Young people require       young people in Africa?
arrival to each country, the welcome, the       skills that are adaptable and can be useful    In my position, I am tasked with bringing
level of energy, and the love extended to me    in multiple professions and fields.            the UN closer to young people, and young
was unbelievable. I may be Sri Lankan by            On digital divide: Unlike young            people closer to the UN. As a representative
birth, but part of me is definitely African     people living in the urban areas, those        of the Secretary General, I meet top gov-
by choice.                                      in rural areas are left behind in terms of     ernment officials and other stakeholders
                                                information and technology. There are          and use such opportunities to raise aware-
What were your impressions of the young         also girls who do not even have a chance to    ness of the issues young people are facing
people you met?                                 get basic education, let alone technological   and then urge the officials to address them.
The amount of resilience the young people       education.
in the continent have surprised me. You             On issues affecting girls: Girls face      What would you say you achieved during
might have seen pictures of us laughing         various barriers as they seek education.       this trip?
and dancing together, but just before that,     Often it becomes an issue when they are        The biggest outcome of my mission to
we were sitting under a tree talking about      on their menstrual cycles because they         Africa was being able to act as a bridge to
issues and challenges these youth face, even    don’t have pads or their schools don’t have    bring the young people’s concerns to the
to the point of sometimes crying together.      adequate sanitary facilities. Some girls’      attention of decisionmakers, urging them
I met some who have gone through situa-         education is often disrupted to take care      to make a difference in young people’s lives
tions incomprehensible for us sitting here      of their younger siblings, while others are    and holding them accountable. Having
in New York.                                    married off at a very young age or drop out    those one-on-one interactions with the

10 AfricaRenewal      April 2018 - July 2018
young people to run for elected office. We
                                                                                                 are working with the interparliamentary
                                                                                                 union, OHCHR, UNDP, and some other
                                                                                                 partners on scaling it up. During my trip
                                                                                                 I also called for youth affirmative action
                                                                                                 within political parties, urging the official
                                                                                                 to remove existing barriers to youth par-
                                                                                                 ticipation in decision-making.

                                                                                                 What are your views on youth taking seek-
                                                                                                 ing positions, not just in politics but also in
                                                                                                 business and other spheres?
                                                                                                 It’s been amazing! Some of the brightest
                                                                                                 young minds that I’ve met on this job are
                                                                                                 from Africa. I say that without any bias.
                                                                                                 I am very impressed by the work young
                                                                                                 Africans do, they are so creative. On this
                                                                                                 trip I met young innovators, for example,
                                                                                                 one of them has invented a three-wheeler
                                                                                                 which uses solar power, another one had
                                                                                                 developed an online platform to help can-
                                                                                                 didates running for office to design and
                                                                                                 organize their political campaigns.

                                                                                                 What challenges do young people pushing
                                                                                                 for space, a seat at the political table, face?
                                                                                                 We have identified several layers of bar-
young people I meet, some of whom have         Jayathma Wickramanayake, UN Youth Envoy.          riers that hinder young people from par-
gone through really tough situations, ena-        Africa Renewal/ Shu Zhang                      ticipation. The first layer is at the personal
bles me to bring their voices to the discus-                                                     level - having no confidence or belief in
sions here at the UN. I talked to marginal-    they can also bring solutions to the table.       themselves. The second layer is social -
ized young people, as well as innovators,      And when talking to decision-makers, I            family and friends around a young person,
and social entrepreneurs, who inspired me      was able to highlight this role of young          who may sometimes discourage them from
to raise their issues in my meetings with      people as agents of positive change, so that      venturing into politics. And third is politi-
government ministers, parliamentarians,        they can treat youth as assets, rather than       cal party structures. Young people are
UN Country Teams, and the media in every       liabilities.                                      under-represented in political parties. The
country I visited.                                                                               same for the women too.
                                               How will you amplify this message?
Any immediate results?                         One of the things I am trying to do is to         What’s your advice to young people who
I saw some remarkable results! For             bring some of these young change-makers           get into leadership?
instance, the UN Country Team in Nige-         to the UN Headquarters for the forthcom-          When you get to a position of power, always
ria will set up an advisory mechanism for      ing High-Level Political Forum and UN             remember why you are in that position in
youth to be consulted on its work on the       General Assembly to showcase, not just            the first place. Thousands of young people
ground.                                        the issues they face, but also the solutions      look up to you. Also, don’t forget to create
                                               that they bring to the table. I have also tried   a space for other young people to come
What are the young people themselves           to amplify this through the UN country            onboard.
doing to improve their lot?                    teams in various countries.
The mission offered a great opportunity to                                                       What values should they live by?
highlight the amazing contributions these      Do you have any special programmes                   They should live up to the values that
young people themselves are making to          or campaigns targeting young people in            we, as young people, have been demand-
improve their communities. For example,        Africa?                                           ing all along - integrity, transparency,
in Nigeria I met this young woman - a sur-     Indeed, we do. In fact, one of our big-           saying no to corruption and standing up
vivor of rape - who has developed a mobile     gest campaign is “Not Too Young to Run,”          for democracy. This could mean some-
phone app that can help other young            started in Nigeria and aimed at lowering          times doing things in unconventional
women to report gender-based violence          the legal age required to run for office from     ways, maybe changing systems completely
to the nearest police station. This shows      40 to 35. We have now made it a global            upside down - we need transformational
that young people are not just victims,        campaign that advocates for the rights of         change.

                                                                                                    AfricaRenewal    April 2018 - July 2018   11
YOUTH LEADERSHIP

Music: Nigeria’s new export
Naija beats topping international charts, but dividends are “scattered”
BY FRANCK KUWONU

 I
       t is a cold evening in Antwerp, Bel-       African Act award for “If,” one of his hit
       gium’s second-largest city, famous         songs—a love-themed ballad with a blend
       for diamonds, beer, art and high-end       of Nigerian rhythms and R & B.
       fashion. Inside a small restaurant,            Since its release in February 2017, the
  a mix of the latest American pop and            official “If” video has racked up more than
  rap—clearly enjoyed by diners—is playing        60 million views on YouTube, the high-
  on a radio.                                     est number of YouTube views for any
      Nigerians Olalekan Adetiran and             Nigerian music video and one of the
  Adaobi Okereke, enjoying a kebab dinner,        highest ever recorded for a song by
  are startled when the radio begins play-        an African artist.
  ing the unmistakable “Ma Lo”—a catchy,              Across the African continent,
  midtempo and bass-laden song by popular         other musical groups, such as
  Nigerian artistes Tiwa Savage and Wizkid.       Kenya’s boy band Sauti Sol, Tan-
      The song, currently a hit in Nigeria and    zania’s Diamond Platnumz and
  across Africa, awakens thoughts of home;        South Africa’s Mafikizolo, have
  they cannot stop smiling at the pleasant        collaborated with or featured Nige-
  surprise. They are visiting Belgium as part     rian top stars in attempts to gain
  of a tour of European countries and their       international appeal. Reuters news
  cultural landmarks.                             service calls Nigerian music a “cultural
      A week earlier, barely two months after     export.”
  its release, the eye-popping video of the           The Nigerian government is now
  song had been viewed on YouTube more            looking to the creative industries, includ-
  than 10 million times—and counting.             ing performing arts and music, to generate
      For Mr. Adetiran, hearing “Ma Lo” on a      revenues.
  Belgian radio station not known to cater to
  African communities confirms that music         A billion-dollar industry?
  from Naija (as Nigerians fondly refer to        In rebasing or recalculating its GDP in
  their country), is going places. It reflects    2013, the Nigerian government included
  the greater reach of a new generation of        formerly neglected sectors, such as
  Nigerian artists.                               the entertainment industries led by
      Just like the country’s movie indus-        Nollywood. As a result, the country’s
  try, Nollywood, Nigerian music is drawing       GDP increased sharply, from $270 billion
  interest from beyond the borders, show-         to $510 billion, overtaking South Africa
  casing the vitality of a creative industry      that year as the continent’s biggest
  that the government is now depending            economy, notes the Brookings Institution,
  on, among other sectors, to diversify the       a US-based nonprofit public policy think
  economy and foster development.                 tank. Brookings reports, however, that
                                                  the GDP rise didn’t show an increase in
  Greater recognition                             wealth and that a recent crash in the price
  Last November, Wizkid won the Best              of oil, the country’s main export, is slowing
  International Act category at the 2017          economic growth.
  MOBO (Music of Black Origin) Awards held            Nigerian music sales revenues were
  in London, the first for an Africa-based        estimated at $56 million in 2014, accord-
  artist. He beat back competition from more      ing to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC),
  established global celebrities such as Jay-Z,   an international accounting and auditing
  Drake, DJ Khaled and Kendrick Lamar.            firm. The firm projects sales revenues to
      At the same MOBO Awards, Davido,            reach $88 million by 2019.
  another Nigerian artist, took home the Best

12 AfricaRenewal     April 2018 - July 2018
Globally, the creative industry is among    creative industry—about the films, theatre
the most dynamic economic sectors. It           and music,” Mr. Mohammed said.
“provides new opportunities for developing          He was reacting to UNCTAD’s find-
countries to leapfrog into emerging high-       ings that the creative industry contributed
growth areas of the world economy,” the         £84.1 (about $115.5) billion to the British
United Nations Conference on Trade and          economy in 2014 and $698 billion to the US
Development (UNCTAD), a UN body that            economy that same year. “Nigeria cannot
deals with trade, investment and develop-       afford to be left behind,” Mr. Mohammed
ment issues, said in a 2016 report.             declared.
    Over the last decade, Europe has been           The Nigerian government is already
the largest exporter of creative prod-          providing incentives to investors in the
ucts, although exports from developing          sector, including a recent $1 million ven-
countries are growing fast too, UNCTAD          ture capital fund to provide seed money for
reported.                                       young and talented Nigerians looking to set
    According to PwC, lumped together,          up business in creative industries. The gov-
annual revenues from music, movies, art         ernment is also allowing the industry “pio-
and fashion in Nigeria will grow from $4.8      neer status,” meaning that those investing
billion in 2015 to more than $8 billion in      in motion picture, video and television
2019,.                                          production, music production, publishing,
    Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics     distribution, exhibition and photography
reports that the local music sector grew        can enjoy a three- to five-year tax holiday.
“in real terms by 8.4% for the first three          Other incentives, such as government-
months of 2016” and that in the first quar-     backed and privately backed investment
ter of 2017, the sector grew by 12% com-        funds, are also being implemented.
pared with the same period one year prior.          Yet as hopes of a vibrant industry rise,
    The growth may be attributed to a           pervasive copyright violations could stunt
reversal in music consumption patterns,         its growth.
according to local media reports. Up to the
early 2000s, the music in clubs and on the      Profits are “scattered”
radio in Nigeria was dominated by British       In December 2017, the Nigerian police
and American hit songs. Not anymore.            charged three people in Lagos with copy-             Still, online release
Reportedly, most Nigerians now prefer           right violations. Their arrests had been         poses its own challenges.
songs by their local artists to those by        widely reported in the country months            For example, Mr. Adeti-
foreigners, even the big ones in the West.      earlier. “Piracy: Three suspects arrested        ran and Mr. Okereke recall
    “When I go out, I want to hear songs        at Alaba with N50 million [US$139,000]           visiting in March 2017 a club
by Davido or Whizkid or Tekno; like other       worth of materials,” Premium Times, a            in Dakar, Senegal, where DJs
people, I cannot enjoy myself listening to      Lagos-based newspaper, announced in a            spun Nigerian beats nonstop. The
songs by foreign artistes anymore,” says        headline.                                        two realised only much later that
Benjamin Gabriel, who lives in Abuja. With           Alaba market in Nigeria’s commercial        those songs had been down-
a population of about 180 million, Nigerian     capital, Lagos, is famous for electronics, but   loaded from the Internet.
artists have a huge market to tap into. The     it is also notorious for all things fake and         “When you create your
big ones like Whizkid and Davido are feel-      cheap, attracting customers from across          content and put it out, it’s
ing the love—maybe the cash too!                West Africa to East Africa.                      scattered,” Harrysong, a
                                                     Recent efforts by the authorities to        Nigerian singer, told the
The new oil                                     fight piracy led to police raids of Alaba        New York Times in June
“We are ready to explore and exploit the        and other markets in the country, result-        2017, echoing Mr. Adetiran
‘new oil,’” Nigeria’s minister of information   ing in the seizure of pirated items worth        and Mr. Okereke’s experi-
and culture, Lai Mohammed, commented            $40 million.                                     ence. He was expressing
ahead of a creative industry financing               Despite such raids, the business of         performers’ sense of power-
conference held in Lagos last July.             pirated music and movie CDs continues            lessness as they lose control
   “When we talk about diversifying the         unabated, turning enforcement efforts into       of sales and distribution of
economy it is not just about agriculture        a game of Whack-A-Mole. With minimal             their music.
or solid minerals alone, it is about the        returns from CD sales, Nigerian artists              The Times summed
                                                rely on ringtone sales, corporate sponsor-       it up like this: “Nigeria’s
                                                ship contracts and paid performances to          Afrobeat music scene is
Wizkid performs in London, United Kingdom.      make ends meet. Most Nigerian artists now        booming, but profits go to
   Alamy/Michael Tubi                           prefer online releases of their songs.           pirates.”

                                                                                                   AfricaRenewal   April 2018 - July 2018   13
YOUTH LEADERSHIP

PROFILE

Raphael Obonyo                                                                      master’s in public policy at Duke University in
                                                                                           the United States.
                                                                                                   In 2012 I was selected to serve on

From poverty to the                                                                             the United Nations Habitat’s Youth
                                                                                                 Advisory Board (YAB), and I was later

pinnacles of power
                                                                                                 nominated as a special adviser. My
                                                                                                  profile had been subjected to a global
                                                                                                   vote, where it received the highest
                                                                                                   number of votes.
                                                                                                      YAB is a board comprising 16
A Kenyan boy’s odyssey                                                                             young people from across the world.
BY RAPHAEL OBONYO                                                                                  The board members are volunteers,
                                                                                                  and for two years they serve three

M
                                                                                                 main roles: represent young people in
               y name is Raphael Obonyo                                                       local and international forums, advise
               from Kenya. I grew up in                                                     the UN on how to engage urban youth
               Korogocho, the third-largest                                                 in sustainable urbanization, and develop
               slum in the capital, Nairobi,                                                and strengthen youth participation and
where people live in grinding poverty.                                                     advocacy in youth-led initiatives.
    I was the fourth child in a family of nine,                                            Through this UN role, I traveled to differ-
and we all lived in a single room with our                                          ent countries around the world, spoke at many
parents. My dad was a cook at the University of                                     forums, and met and shared platforms with presi-
Nairobi. He walked 10 km to and from work daily                                     dents and other global leaders.
to support our large family.                                                            Currently, I sit on the boards of international
    From an early age, I knew that education would                                  bodies such as the Global Diplomatic Forum and
be my only route out of poverty and hence took my                                   the World Bank’s Global Coordination Board on
studies seriously. In school I befriended my deputy head                            Youth and Anti-Corruption.
teacher’s son and we became study partners. The                                         I am also giving back to my community. I took
teacher, Stephen Kariuki, would buy books and                                       part in initiating various youth and community
other school items for me and his son.                                             development projects, including the Youth Con-
    It was impossible to study or do homework at                                    gress of Kenya and the Kenya Youth Media, which
home because there was not enough light from the tin                                  have trained many young people from Koro-
lamp we used. Mr. Kariuki opened his home for me to                                   gocho on entrepreneurship, filmmaking and
study on weekends. In academic grading, I was always first                     journalism. After training, we help teach the trainees
in class and his son would be second, or vice versa.                           how to access capital to start small businesses. The
    I was among the top students in the Kenya Certificate of Pri-              initiative is helping to improve living conditions and
mary Education exams in 1995. Because my dad couldn’t afford        reduce poverty amongst the youth.
to send me to high school, my friends from St. John’s Catholic         I have always described myself as a restless dreamer. My
Church in Korogocho raised money to pay my fees for the first       ambition is to one day serve as the Secretary-General of the
term at Dagoretti High School.                                      United Nations or the president of my country. But most impor-
    Many of my classmates were from wealthy and prominent           tantly, I want to keep doing my best at every level, to be the best
families, unlike me with meager possessions that included           that I can be, and to make a difference in the world.
donated secondhand uniforms and small change for pocket                So this is not all. There is more work to do. I see myself as a
money.                                                              work in progress.
    In school I faced hardships. Frequently I was sent home for        I always share the story of my life journey to inspire
nonpayment of school fees. During visiting days, I watched with     young men and women born in disadvantaged places. I often
envy as fellow students were visited by relatives clutching big     urge the youth to live by the three d’s: dream, discipline and
shopping bags filled with food and goodies.                         determination.
    During holidays I would walk the 10 km from Korogocho              I have faith in the young people of Africa. My passion for the
to McMillan Memorial Library in the city and back, to study.        youth is founded on our enormous potential to create a better
Despite all these hurdles, I performed well and was admitted to     future for ourselves and for others.
the University of Nairobi.                                             Youth in Africa need opportunities. They represent dyna-
    After undergraduate education, I did community work in          mism, talent and energy that must be harnessed for the conti-
Korogocho before clinching a scholarship from the International     nent to make real progress. It should go without saying that the
Fellowships Program through the Ford Foundation to take a           youth are Africa—and we cannot leave Africa behind.

14 AfricaRenewal     April 2018 - July 2018
YOUTH LEADERSHIP

                                                              PROFILE

                           Phumzile Van Damme
                         A young MP with a mission
                        Standing up for women’s rights in South Africa’s parliament
                                                     BY GAYANE ALIKHANYAN

P
             humzile Van Damme, one of the youngest                           An opportunity came in 2014 when she was elected
             members of parliament in South Africa, is also                 to parliament at the age of 31, helping to break a
             the shadow minister for communications.                         gender barrier that once confined women to only
                 She grew up in a family of strong                            3% of the lawmaking body. Today 42% of all seats
women, and her gift for leadership was already                                 in the South African parliament are held by
apparent when she was a child. In the fifth                                      women.
grade, she called a student strike because                                              Last year she further distinguished
the teacher would not allow students to                                               herself by bringing a case against the
go out for break. For that she earned the                                                British multinational public relations
nickname “Big Mouth.” Ms. Van Damme                                                       and advertising firm Bell Pottinger
became active in national politics after                                                  Private for stoking racial tensions to
graduation from Rhodes University in                                                       keep the ruling ANC in power. The
Grahamstown, South Africa, in 2007,                                                        firm was subsequently expelled from
with a bachelor’s degree in law and
politics. She joined the Democratic
Alliance (DA) as a staffer. The DA
is the official opposition party to
the governing African National Con-
                                                                                            If breakdown
gress (ANC).                                                                                happens, you must
     Without the financial backup that                                                      never, ever think
other politicians had, Ms. Van Damme                                                        that it’s a sign of
at some point did menial jobs.
     As a black woman, people expected
                                                                                            weakness or it’s
her to join the ANC, the party of Nelson                                                    a failure. Do not
Mandela, but she had other ideas.                                                           give up hope. Keep
     “I joined the DA as a disgruntled ANC                                                  trying. Knock on
supporter who found the DA’s liberal poli-
cies more appealing to me personally. My per-
                                                                                            every door.
sonal politics are very liberal. I believe in the
liberty of the individual, equality, freedom
and democracy,” Ms. Van Damme says.
     Passionate about empowering young                                              South Africa’s public relations and commu-
women, Ms. Van Damme is dedicated to making                                        nications association.
sure they have the support they need to stand on                                     Nevertheless, it is still a turbulent ride
their own feet. “The harder I work, the easier I make                           for women who choose a public service career.
it for young women who climb up the ladder behind me,                          Phumzile has been disappointed by many devel-
so that their struggle will be a bit easier than mine,” she                  opments in her field, but says, “Each time, I believe
says.                                                                      I learn from that disappointment and I become
     “It is challenging to be a young woman. You struggle                stronger.”
to be heard, people don’t take you seriously. You have to                    Her message to young women is, “If breakdown
work twice as hard [as men] to be taken seriously,” Ms.                 happens, you must never, ever think that it’s a sign of
Van Damme told Africa Renewal. Despite such challenges,                 weakness or it’s a failure. Do not give up hope. Keep
she says, she would never give up fighting to bring about               trying. Knock on every door. Work hard, have a balance
change in South Africa.                                                 and take care of yourselves.”

                                                                                        AfricaRenewal   April 2018 - July 2018   15
YOUTH LEADERSHIP

                                                                 PROFILE

                                      Gwendolyn Myers
                                               A peace advocate
                                  Mobilising the young for peace and development
                                                        BY GWENDOLYN MYERS

I
       was born in 1990, a year after the Liberian civil war began,    the presenter of a radio programme. My father had taken me
       and was only 13 years old when the war ended in 2003.           to the Talking Drum Studios in Monrovia, managed by the
          My mother told me that at the time of my birth, she          nongovernment organization Search for Common Ground.
       could not afford even a blanket to wrap the new baby.           Following weeks of practice, I was selected from among many
A midwife was kind enough to assist with a cloth. Those were           other children to present a programme called Golden Kids
trying times for my family.                                            News. Through this programme, I learned how to confidently
    As a child, I dreamt of seeing an airplane—not even being          articulate issues.
in it—and regularly begged my father to take me to the airport             In high school and during my undergraduate studies, my
to see one. These days, I fly to different regions of the world on     friends and the school administration often called me to settle
speaking engagements as a peace and human rights advocate.             disputes between students. It was an indication that I could
The countries I have visited include the United States, Turkey,        do well in peace efforts. On my graduation, the Catholic Media
the Netherlands, Cambodia, South Africa and Rwanda, among              Centre hired me to present a programme on Radio Veritas, its
others.                                                                broadcast channel.
    I did not initially aspire to a career in peace, human rights          A life-defining moment came in 2008 when the United
and women and youth empowerment advocacy; I wanted to be               Nations Mission in Liberia asked me to help organize a group
a doctor and had successfully completed undergraduate stud-            of young volunteers to raise awareness among the youth on
ies in chemistry and biology at the Mother Patern College of           social issues such as HIV and AIDS, anti-rape and so on. We
Health Sciences, an affiliate of the Stella Maris Polytechnic, in      later named the group Messengers of Peace, and registered it
Monrovia, Liberia.                                                     as a nongovernmental organization with the goal of engaging
    Once I began getting involved in peace advocacy, witnessing        young people nationwide in volunteerism and peacebuilding.
the international community’s peace efforts in my country, I                  In 2017 I was elected to the World Economic Forum’s
realised that disarming the fighters was just an aspect                     Global Shapers Advisory Council, for governance and
of peace; to achieve genuine peace requires reconcili-                       accountability. The forum also nominated me as an
ation among the various groups, between young and                             expert in human rights, making me one of more than
old, the genders, etc.                                                          5,000 leading experts engaged by the forum to shape
    I decided against going for medical studies, a                               a global agenda. I am also a member of the Work-
move that mystified friends and relatives. In fact,                                ing Group on Youth for Gender Equality coordi-
my pastor urged my parents to “speak sense into” me.                                nated by the UN Inter-Agency Network on Youth
A career in medicine, they felt, would be much more                                  Development.
rewarding than any advocacy work I might want to                                          The highlight of my career was in 2015 when
do. Peace advocacy would be a waste of my intel-                                        I delivered the first-ever official address on
lect and talent, they insisted.                                                           youth, peace and security on behalf of the
    I received a Gbowee Peace Foundation schol-                                            United Network of Young Peacebuilders
arship funded by the US Agency for Inter-                                                   before the UN Peacebuilding Commission in
national Development and the International                                                   New York. I used the occasion to advocate
Research and Exchanges Board, a nonprofit,                                                   for the adoption of Resolution 2250, which
in 2012. This enabled me to study peace-                                                     urges countries to include young people in
building and leadership at the Centre for                                                     peace processes and conflict resolution.
Justice and Peacebuilding, Eastern Men-                                                           I believe that young people need to
nonite University, Virginia, US. It was an                                                     demonstrate wisdom and ethical conduct
opportunity I took delightedly.                                                                and must be engaged in community-
    My passion for peace work began at age                                                     and youth-based initiatives that promote
13, when I would engage other children as                                                      peaceful coexistence.

16 AfricaRenewal      April 2018 - July 2018
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