On the 27th of April thousands of South Africans will
converge at the Union Buildings to listen to president Zuma’s Freedom Day Speech.
To outsiders this might seem like an ordinary procedural event hosted by the
government. However, all South Africans acknowledge the deep political
symbolism that is associated with these celebrations. Citizens from diverse
backgrounds will commemorate the occasion on which South Africa held its first
genuine democratic elections. Amongst these citizens is the youth, the strata
which—in Soloman Mahlangu’s words—is supposed to “enjoy the fruits of freedom”. Moreover, it must use these freedoms to
construct a new South Africa.
As the revolutionary scholar and freedom fighter Frantz Fanon
(1961) explains: “Each generation must, out of relative obscurity, discover its
mission, fulfil it, or betray it”. This profound observation raises the
following important questions for the youth in SA— first, what is the mission
of the youth in Post-Apartheid SA? Second, is the youth taking progressive
steps to fulfil the above-mentioned mission? Third and most importantly, which
instruments or tools can the youth use to achieve its unique generational
mission.
This short article
attempts to address these pertinent questions. It does not seek to provide
prescriptive theory or knowledge; but rather insights on the challenges and
possibilities of fulfilling the youth’s mission. It would be intellectually
arrogant and superficial to assume that an individual’s work can create an
entire generation’s mission. Thus, this short paper should be interpreted as a
contribution to broader discourse on youth activism. It is divided into the following important
sections: (a) What is the mission of the Post-Apartheid Youth; and (b) Youth activism in a Post-Apartheid
Society.
The Mission of the Post-Apartheid Youth
Every generation discovers its mission by conducting a
thorough and reflective analysis of its context. This evaluation is integral
because each epoch presents unique challenges and opportunities. Thus, the
youth must understand their context, in order to create a mission that is
suited for addressing these challenges, and exploring different opportunities.
If the youth fails, then it will not discover its authentic historical mission.
Karl Marx expresses this point succinctly by stating that: “Men make their own
history, but they do not make it just as they please; they do not make it under
circumstances chosen by themselves, but under circumstances directly encountered”.
Therefore the first element of the youth’s mission is to
understand the post-apartheid social context. This will ensure that that the
youth’s mission is founded on solid comprehension of the issues that
characterize this epoch. The youth can only engage in this exercise if it
adopts an organic paradigm in its analysis. It should draw knowledge from both
personal and inter-personal experience. Moreover, it should rely on African
accounts — both formal and informal— of the evolution and future prospects of
the South African society. A central aspect of this process is the rejection of
Eurocentric ideals which characterize Africans as inherently lazy and
inefficient people. This flawed analysis ignores the skewed social, political
and economic structures which underdevelop societies on the continent.
The second element of the mission is related to the historical
context. Over the past twenty years or so, South Africa has been lauded for its respect
of political freedoms and human rights. However, the country is still
characterized by high levels of poverty; uneven spatial development; low levels
of economic growth and inequality. The political component of apartheid has
slowly withered away; but the socio-economic base is still intact. Contrary to
popular superficial belief, the stagnant and inefficient apartheid economic structure
contributes immensely to the socio-economic problems experienced in the
post-apartheid era. Therefore, the youth should create innovative methods to
change this economic structure, and subsequently address the above-mentioned
problems.
The point of departure should be the rejection of
individualistic notions of success based on superficial analysis. This
anti-developmental paradigm argues that individual success can only come about
through competition and defeating others. Furthermore, it moves from an ahistorical
and unscientific account of the development of most societies in the
International System. Challenging this “Individualistic get rich at whatever
costs” mentality is essential for addressing the socio-economic problems in
post-apartheid SA.
The third element of the mission is to develop public
institutions in all our communities. These institutions play a pivotal role in
addressing societal challenges. More importantly, they provide citizens with
opportunities to improve their socio-economic conditions. The youth should
understand the etymology of the term “Public”. It is derived from the Latin
word: res publica, meaning the affairs of the state. This term highlights the
differences between public and private realms of human behaviour. The most
distinguishing factor about public institutions is that they are developed to
pursue common or collective interests. The establishment and strengthening of
these instutions in society should be one of the key goals of the youth’s
mission.
Youth Activism in A Post-Apartheid Society
The above-mentioned generational goals can be realized by
using the opportunities provided by the new democratic context. The most
important being: the right to form associations; freedom of expression; right
to education; and most importantly, the right to influence public policy. These
opportunities must find expression in the following pillars of activism:
First, the youth should use their basic education skills to
develop high levels of organic consciousness. The term organic is important in
this regard, as it refers to developing knowledge systems that are related to
the domestic context. This will ensure that youth’s programs provide realistic
and applicable solutions to societal problems. This requires a critical
analysis of traditional forms of knowledge and practices.
Second, young people should develop what Gramsci (1971)
describes as organic intellectualism. According to Gramsci there are two types
of intellectuals in society: traditional and organic. The former are produced
within conventional educational institutions; whilst the later are produced
from struggles or efforts to transform society. Therefore, if we follow the
Gramscian conceptualization of intellectualism, we can conclude that SA needs
young organic intellectuals. This does not mean that young people must reject
traditional education; rather, they must use both their traditional and
non-conventional forms of knowledge.
Our society needs
youngsters who view education as vehicle for broader societal transformation;
not just the accumulation of personal accolades and wealth. More importantly,
they must understand that the production of knowledge is directly related
to socio-economic power relations. In sum, a youth with organic consciousness
understands education and knowledge accumulation as a means to an end; and not an
end in itself. Moreover, it uses this knowledge to restructure society, and
thus, fulfilling its historic mission.
Thirdly, young people must understand that the basis of
activism is taking action. The Oxford
dictionary defines an activist as a “person who is continuously advocating for
social change”. Therefore the behaviour of activists is characterized by this
transformative ethos. In other words, political power is not a prerequisite for
shaping hegemonic societal ideas and action. Therefore the youth must seek to
shape ideas and relations in all realms in society: business; work; family etc.
Moreover, they must create concrete tangible programs to facilitate this transformation.
Lastly, the youth should develop a developmental non-parasitic
entrepreneurial culture. It should be based on productive growth-centred
networks. Furthermore, aspiring entrepreneurs should obtain skills required for
long-term or sustainable development. This requires the rejection of popular
pseudo-business cultures based on parasitic networking! Such thinking is
prevalent in flawed conceptions such as “ama-BEE or tenderpreneurs”. More
importantly, the knowledge base of business relations needs to change.
Books such as “Capitalist Nigger” and “Rich Dad, Poor Dad”
mislead young people, and perpetuate individualistic notions of development.
Further, they are based on unscientific and intellectually flawed assumptions
about wealth production in societies. Therefore we need to engage research that
is based on context specific business knowledge; which does not sell the idea
that formal “get rich quick schemes” are the epitome of entrepreneurial success.
Conclusion
As argued earlier, the aim is not to provide rigid
prescripts; but rather insights which will contribute to the broader debate. Hopefully
this article raises critical questions amongst young people in SA. These
questions should inform constructive debates which are crucial for shaping
ideas. Every idea should be analyzed through rigorous discussion about the role
of the post-apartheid youth. This discourse on youth participation in the
process of restructuring our society is essential. The youth should grapple
with the profound words of Fanon; otherwise they will definitely “betray their
generational mission”.
Our featured blogger of the week is Khwezi Mabasa:
Khwezi Mabasa is a part-time junior lecturer in the Department of Political Sciences: University of Pretoria. He holds BPolsci and BA (honours) degrees in Political Studies from the University of Pretoria. He is currently completing his Masters in Developmental Studies. Mr. Mabasa has published in journals such as the “Thinker" and presented papers on various topics in different platforms.