Zimbabwe: young people “die” to be heard
Filed under: How Zimbabwe can be better, I was just thinking
Young people are literally dying to be heard in the repressive, chaotic and often violent political scene of Zimbabwe.
Levels of despondency are high among the youth because they cannot see a future of hope and dreams in the country’s political decision-making.
As a result, many young people have gone into self-exile or illegally cross national borders everyday to work in menial jobs in neighboring countries, usually putting their lives at risk.
The situation of youth in Zimbabwe today is indeed reflective of the social fragmentation, decay and crisis facing the country.
The problems that face youths in Zimbabwe are multifaceted and complex; and need to be clearly understood before any effort to encourage youth political participation is developed.
Young people are seriously marginalized and stifled that they do not play a key role in deciding their own destiny, and therefore cannot perceive “a future” in the current state of affairs.
The ostracism of young people away from opportunities for political participation is unhealthy for the future of the country.
Alcoholism, drug abuse, crime and prostitution have increased due to high levels of poverty, especially among young people.
If anything, young people are by far the worst affected by the ongoing political and socio-economic crisis in the country — a factor that has negatively impacted youth engagement and participation in political processes.
Ranked among 10 of the world’s most unstable countries in the Failed States Index Scores 2007, Zimbabwe desperately needs an urgent solution to its multi-faceted problems.
Fifty-six percent of the population lives on less than US$1 a day, while 80 percent live on less than US$2 a day. The unemployment rate is currently over 80 percent.
Zimbabwe is also experiencing one of the world’s worst HIV epidemics. Since the first reported case of HIV in 1985, the epidemic has become a serious health, social and economic problem.
An estimated 1.8 million people are living with HIV, 651,402 of them women and 132,938 being children under 14. Life expectancy at birth has fallen below 35 years, having reached over 55 years previously.
Young people 15 to 24 years old are the group most vulnerable to HIV and other STIs yet they have limited access to reproductive health services, including treatment for STIs and information about sexual health.
Against this background, the framing of political issues around the war of liberation by the ruling ZANU-PF government has excluded youth from effective involvement in political decision-making.
Paradoxically, it was the youth during the colonial era that formed the majority of people involved in the liberation struggle.
But beginning in the late 1990s, the ZANU-PF government has become heavy handed on the ideal of civic participation.
Against the backdrop of a shrinking economy, rising unemployment, an orphan crisis and the sharply increasing cost of living, Zimbabwean youths are severely curtailed from making their voice heard.
Although the country has a national youth policy, it has been implemented in a manner designed to strengthen the prospects of the ruling ZANU-PF government.
Because young people have little access to resources, power and wealth, their voices tend to be marginalized by the powers that be.
Also, the sociocultural and traditional values in Zimbabwe largely exclude the voice of young people. From an early age, young people are generally left out of decision-making processes.
Within the political arena, young people are used as instruments to propagate the agendas of party political leaders. Youth are exploited to fulfill the needs of party political machinery without their voices being heard.
Many young people cannot find employment, and therefore become prey to the whims of politicians who pay them to engage in violent acts against perceived political opponents.
Unfortunately, out of desperation, young people neither understand nor question political philosophies.
The promotion of youth participation and involvement in political processes is critical to the democratic transformation of the country.
Youth need to be strengthened through programs and campaigns that can enhance their ability to participate confidently in political processes. It is vital to develop new strategies and mechanisms for promoting political participation of young people in Zimbabwe.
Distinctive community outreach projects such as seminars, debates, innovative voter registration drives, media projects and other civic programs can be designed to encourage the active participation of young people in politics.
In essence, programs should strengthen young people’s self-image and self-reliance as well as equip them to be able to question political systems.
The bottom line is that engaging young people in politics is essential for the future of democracy in the country.
However, projects to encourage youth participation need to be based on young people’s own motivation, potential, knowledge, interests, and perceptions of their reality rather than offering theoretical training on the mechanisms of citizen participation.
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Exhaling hard for a breath that won’t come, holding out our tongues for a drop of water that won’t rain. Dying- as if we ever knew life…
Styles Kadzeres last blog post..I sing of freedom