Youth power rises in East Africa

Youth power rises in East Africa

Strong governments in Kenya and Uganda are grappling with a new problem: angry, organized young people demanding change. A Kenyan activist scuffles with plain clothes police officers during a protest against the finance bill in Nairobi, Kenya 6 June 2023. (AP...

Governments in Kenya and Uganda are grappling with a new problem: angry, organized young people demanding change. Correspondent Enock Wanderema reports on social media as the vessel for East African youth to mobilise and demand change. His article deal with the themes of politics, youth activism, social issues and demographics.

Exercise: Take the case of Uganda and explore it further. Look into Uganda’s demographics, its political leadership, job opportunities and its economy. Compile a short report on why Uganda youth are now mobilizing and what issues are top of the agenda. Are recent protests bringing about change? How? Students can then choose a country in the Global South that is experiencing social change. Compare the cases.

The legacy of leadership

The legacy of leadership

Can even leaders on the wrong side of history be credited for good outcomes? Can awful leaders be awe-inspiring? Then-Libyan President Moammar Gaddafi arrives in Venezuela, 25 September 2009 to attend the Africa-South America, ASA, summit. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)...

As half the world goes to the polls this year, Jeremy Solomons asks: Can even leaders on the wrong side of history be credited for good outcomes? Can awful leaders be awe-inspiring? Explore leadership, leaders and their legacies with your class and push them to develop their critical thinking and argumentation skills.

Exercise: Choose a controversial leader, dead or alive. You may agree or disagree with their position, politics or legacy. Build a picture of some of their decisions that had widespread negative impacts and find some positive aspects to their leadership. Next, play devil’s advocate and try to argue the good or positives that may have come from negative decisions. How might people on both opinion sides see the leader’s legacy? To conclude, students can express their own views on the matter and find nuanced arguments and discourse to express these.

Politics