African Youth Leaders Tell UN: We Are Force for Change

 

African youth activists² say the 220 million young people on their continent should be seen as a positive force for change, not a problem requiring solutions.

The activists spoke³ earlier this week at United Nations’ headquarters in New York.

Aya Chebbi of Tunisia is the African Union’s special representative on youth. She told the UN Security Council, “We must change the narrative⁴ about African youth to become a narrative of collective, positive actors, among the most informed, the most resilient generation of Africa.”

Africa’s growing youth population is often seen as a possible time bomb, ready to explode. In many countries, governments struggle to provide education and good jobs to the millions of young people seeking a better life. The numbers of youth joining the armed forces or leaving the continent have increased -- a sign that the root causes of hopelessness are not being addressed.

Aya Chebbi told the Security Council that harmful or negative stories about young people can be dangerous.

“It is disempowering,” Chebbi said. She noted⁵ that many young people have the idea that they are made to feel as if they are not important. Some see armed groups as rightful fighters, not people spreading violence.

“We have to value our youth” and what they give the world, she said. “They will look for recognition elsewhere if we don’t.”

Bience Gawanas is the UN Secretary-General’s Special Adviser⁶ on Africa. She said that, “If the right investments in youth are made, and their social, political and economic engagement recognized and nurtured,” countries may gain peace.

Gawanas added that across the continent, young people are demanding urgent action and making their voices heard.

“From Algeria, Burkina Faso, Sudan, Tunisia and Zimbabwe, young people are at the center of pro-democracy movements,” she said.

African Union plan

The October 2 Security Council debate centered on an African Union plan to ‘silence the guns by 2020’ and end conflict on the continent.

“We want youth to give up the guns, but can we answer the big question in the mind of a 19 or 20 year-old: Who am I? What are we offering them?” Chebbi asked.

Hafsa Ahmed joined the debate by a video connection from Nairobi, Kenya. She is the co-founder of Naweza, a non-governmental organization.

Hamed said African youth face “deep rooted obstacles” to meaningful action in peace-building efforts, which traditionally belong to the older generation. She added that when young people are involved they are “often reduced to issues of education and employment.” But they have the ability to contribute to the biggest issues in their countries and the world, she said.

Ugandan activist¹ Victor Ochen talked about how many of his dreams were ruined because his childhood was spent in a camp for people who were displaced from their homes. He told the council’s members by video from Kampala that he made the decision not to become a fighter at a time when boys around him were targeted.

Ochen said he was thinking about getting a gun, but something told him war was not the answer, and that guns only increase suffering.

“I chose peace,” he said.

At the age of 13, he started a group to discourage recruitment of child soldiers in the camp. He later went on to found the African Youth Initiative Network to turn suffering into an opportunity for leadership and build peace.

I’m Anne Ball.

Words in This Story

positive – adj. good or approving

narrative – n. a story that is told or written

resilient – adj. able to become strong, healthy, or successful again after something bad happens

address – v. to communicate; to speak or write directly

nurture⁷ – v. to help (something or someone) to grow, develop, or succeed

obstacle – n. something that makes it difficult to do something

contribute – v. to give or provide with others

discourage – v. to cause someone to lose interest; dishearten

opportunity – n. an amount of time or a situation in which something can be done

1 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

2 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

7 nurture   

n.养育，照顾，教育；滋养，营养品；vt.养育，给与营养物，教养，扶持

参考例句：

• The tree grows well in his nurture.在他的培育下这棵树长得很好。
• The two sisters had received very different nurture.这俩个姊妹接受过极不同的教育。