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- Convenor:
-
Alice Karuri
(Strathmore University)
Send message to Convenor
- Chair:
-
Kamau Wairuri
(Edinburgh Napier University)
- Format:
- Paper panel
- Stream:
- Youth movements, education and urban informality
- Location:
- CB3.1, Chancellor's Building
- Sessions:
- Wednesday 25 June, -
Time zone: Europe/London
Short Abstract
This panel seeks papers exploring the intersection of youth, digital technology, and protest movements in Africa, focusing on issues such as the historical roots of youth-led protests, the impact of digital media, and state responses. Both academic and experiential papers are welcome.
Description
In recent decades, the African continent has witnessed a surge of youth-led protest movements that have garnered global attention and catalysed significant economic, social and political transformation.
From the Arab Spring uprisings in North Africa, to #FeesMustFall movement in South Africa, the #ENDSARS protests in Nigeria and the GenZ protests in Kenya, young Africans have emerged as formidable agents of social and political change using their voice, energy and digital proficiency. Burkina Faso, Guinea, Senegal, Sudan, Burundi and DRC have also experienced waves of youth protests (Maganga, T., 2020).
These protests have emerged as a potent force for change, often fueled by an interplay of factors such as economic disparities, political disenfranchisement and social upheaval.
The proliferation of digital technologies and social media has enabled young Africans to amplify their voices, coordinate their actions, and mobilize support for their causes.
This panel invites papers that interrogate the intersection between youth, digital technology and protests movements. Particular areas of interest are: the historical underpinnings of youth-driven protests and unrest in Africa including colonization and global environmentalism; the role of digital media in fueling protests; how protest movements have changed traditional media; data and digital rights in the context of protests including digital surveillance and data privacy; and state response to protests.
Submissions are open to both academic and experiential papers.
Maganga, Tafadzwa. August 20, 2020. Youth Demonstrations and Their Impact on Political Change and Development in Africa. ACCORD. https://www.accord.org.za/conflict-trends/youth-demonstrations-and-their-impact-on-political-change-and-development-in-africa/
Accepted papers
Session 1 Wednesday 25 June, 2025, -Paper short abstract
This paper seeks to unpack the impact that identity, through echo-chambers on social media platforms, have on the ability of youth groups to mobilize and succeed in carrying out protest movements in Africa. It will focus on the #EndSARS (2020) and #EndBadGovernance (2024) protests in Nigeria.
Paper long abstract
Identity has long been used to weaken the unity of purpose with which groups have sought to hold governments to account. Ruling coalitions have often used the narrative that opposition-backed protests have been attempts to dislodge their ‘turn’ in power, which has often coloured even organic protests through an ethnic or tribal lens.
Nigeria’s protest history, since the return to democracy in 1999, has historically been effective. Examples include the 2011 Occupy Nigeria protests leading to the reinstatement of the fuel subsidy and the 2014 Bring Back Our Girls protests leading to a focus on security that eventually led to the defeat of an incumbent government in the 2015 elections. But recent movements, such as 2020’s #EndSARS movement and the 2024 #EndBadGovernance protests have seen mixed results despite relatively mass support. While both differ in terms of the simplicity of their demands – EndSARS seeking the cessation of a special police unit and EndBadGovernance being vaguer around government policies – the identity of the presidents during these protests appear to have played a role in colouring how they were perceived and effective follow through.
This paper seeks to review how effective or impactful identity is, or has been, in shaping digital-driven protests in Nigeria, how this has affected recent protest outcomes and what this could mean for the future of such protest movements in Nigeria.
Paper short abstract
In Ethiopia, amid a period of ethnic conflict and political polarisation, young people are using online spaces to share information and mobilise against the state. This paper explores diverse Ethiopian young people’s online participation and the implications for political trust and social inclusion.
Paper long abstract
Amidst growing polarisation and public distrust within global and national politics, young people’s political participation is increasingly framed as key to the creation of socially just futures. Online spaces such as social media are recognised as central to young people’s civic and political life in many countries, with online political participation positively correlated with other modes of participation and reflective of a growing ‘participatory culture’ amongst young people. In Ethiopia, amid escalating ethnic violence and political tensions since 2017, young people’s physical participation in protest and mobilisation has ebbed and flowed, but social media has been consistently central in their information sharing and mobilising support. Yet while online spaces can widen the accessibility of information and opportunities for learning and exchange, they can also facilitate the spread of misinformation, thus deepening polarisation and exacerbating conflict and political distrust.
Drawing on findings from longitudinal mixed-methods research with young people in Ethiopia undertaken as part of the Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE) programme, this paper reflects upon the evolving relationship between young people’s participation in online spaces and their ‘offline’ political and civic engagement during conflict and political upheaval in different regions. We explore gender, regional and rural-urban differences in how young people engage with off- and online spaces, and the consequences of these differences for political trust, social inclusion and social justice. We discuss the implications of these findings for equitable and inclusive development.
Paper short abstract
Nigerian youth used social media to organize the #EndBadGovernance protests in August 2024, demonstrating the transformative power of digital platforms in fostering activism and uniting diverse supporters. Despite facing challenges like government restrictions, misinformation, and cyber harassment.
Paper long abstract
In August 2024, Nigerian youth leveraged social media to organize the #EndBadGovernance protests, showcasing the transformative potential of digital platforms in fostering activism and uniting diverse supporters around shared goals. This paper examines the credibility of social media in building grassroots movements, amplifying marginalized voices, and advocating for economic equality while confronting institutional corruption and systemic government failures. Platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram played pivotal roles in scheduling demonstrations, fostering solidarity, and creating universal support for the cause. Despite its advantages, social media activism faced significant challenges, including government-imposed internet restrictions, digital tracking, and platform exploitation to stifle dissent. The movement encountered additional obstacles such as misinformation, cyber harassment, and the state’s manipulation of digital platforms. However, the #EndBadGovernance hashtag, alongside related tags, became a powerful symbol of public resistance, enabling protesters to bypass mainstream media censorship and maintain direct, transparent communication with the public. This research highlights the resilience and ingenuity of young Nigerian activists, who used digital tools to drive progress in the face of adversity, underscoring social media’s role as a catalyst for democratic engagement within authoritarian contexts. By analyzing both the strengths and vulnerabilities of digital activism, the study offers actionable strategies for enhancing its effectiveness, mitigating risks, and fostering lasting civic engagement. Ultimately, this work provides valuable insights for scholars, policymakers, and activists, illustrating how digital platforms can be harnessed to advance social change, strengthen governance, and create sustainable connections between youth activism and political processes.
Paper short abstract
Ranging from going into the streets to using music, youth protests in various ways. This paper interrogates music in Nigeria by analysing the works of Folarin Falana (popularly known as Falz) as forms of rhythmic opposition and youth protest.
Paper long abstract
Music serves two main functions in politics: (a) to support those in power (i.e. "solidarity melodies"), and (b) to protest against those in power (i.e. "rhythmic oppositions"). While youths are crucial in both renditions, this paper focuses on rhythmic opposition that not only offers youths a platform to challenge those in government in a perpetual manner - as music can outlive the musician and what s/he sings about - but also to frame, emphasis and project aspects of governance that is considered a malaise by the singer. Yet, even when youth go to the street in protest, they are accompanied by (such) music or a melodious chanting. Thus, rhythmic opposition serves as both a temporary and permanent forms of youth protest against power. Using the example of the works of Folarin Falana (popularly known as Falz) located within a Nigerian context, this paper analyses the extent to which music serves as a potent form of youth protest. By highlighting and analysing Falz's "This is Nigeria" and "Yakubu" (where he featured Olanrewaju Ogunmefun whose stage name is Vector), which have not only been democratised but made available on digital platforms, the paper will demonstrate how musical renditions can function as a tool for reimagining the tropes, concerns, and outcomes of youth protests in a multiethnic country like Nigeria. The paper is an aspect of a broader study of music in contemporary Nigeria and Ghana.