Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C. left their villages and carried their “thus saith the Lord” far beyond the boundaries of their home towns, and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco Roman world, so we were compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond our own home towns to the beautiful plains of the kingdom of Swaziland.

Like the apostle Paul of the Biblical New Testament – this year’s Africampers youth from over 20 African nations , assembled in the city of Mbabane- feleling that they must constantly respond to the ‘’Macedonian” call for aid. …That they must listen to the cry of the Swazi youth and stand up with them at their hour of need. Flying above Swaziland is a real lure of adventure, its rivers meander rapidly through the slipery ridges like a scared snake as it rushes to meet the lush green vegetation that hold the earth in a tight embrace revealing just how nature falls in love with itself.

This country looks very inviting from the air. You wouldn’t know, unless you already knew, that its citizens have never known democracy beyond the dictionary meaning, that justice lies wounded on the dust of shame and no one is allowed to rescue it, that the jail cells are wide open and always waiting to digest in its torture chambers those who offer an alternative voice. Gazing through the window, the clouds beneath float effortlessly, covering the kingdom like blankets of eternity as we descend in readiness for landing. Notable observation – Welcoming us aboard were the words, “………… seat back, relax and enjoy the freedom of Africa’s sky……..” but ushering us into the kingdom of Swaziland we do not of freedom anymore.

Could this be a sign that a free environment is only miles up? I ask myself …….my fears would be confirmed when a young swazi lady conceded to me that not even an overhaul of the constitution would achieve change in the kingdom. “How do you mean?” I enquired “……….when the king sneezes, the rest of us catches the cold” she replied as worry lines of despair rushed through her cute fore head. “……..and that is precisely why Africamp is here ………..”I told her with a comforting finality. We were in the country, to help the government understand that the true test of its worth is not in the power of its armed forces, but in how it treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped.

We had come with a word of caution to those who seat at the realm of power that if you make peaceful revolution impossible you are in a way making violent revolution inevitable! We had traveled there to help the young people know that it is more honorable to die on your feet standing for valuable ideals than live on your knees begging for what is rightfully yours.

We had come to make the women here understand that the problems they undergo under a repressive regime are just but labour pains that will soon lead into the delivery of a better world. But that was not all we had come to make the children of this nation internalize that Hope has two beautiful daughters. Their names are anger and courage; anger at the way things are, and courage to see that they do not remain the way they are.

With our message home, and our position underscored by a joint press release we left Swaziland with a renewed optimism that after the rain of freedom pours down from the sky, freedom will not just be a preserve for the “flying few”, but an available commodity for all. We left convinced that the dark clouds of poor governance will soon pass away and the deep fog of dictatorship will be lifted from these fear-drenched youth, and that in some not too distant tomorrow, the radiant stars of justice and democracy will shine over this great southern African nation with all their scintillating and dazzling beauty.

When you put youth together in one space, you are certain to experience an extraordinary force, united, divided in opinion and resolve and so on. You are sure to experience explosive dynamism at its best.

This was the mood in Africamp 2011 held in Manzini Swaziland despite the chilly weather. Many African countries were represented, but on learning that Tunisia was also represented, it was inevitable that the expectations of many during Africamp were Tunisia’s lessons in democratic transition.

For many, Tunisia was a revolution fuelled by the ardent utilization of social networking sites. This is the weapon of the war against corrupt regimes in this day and age if you ask me.

On the first day of presentations, messages, comments and contributions from participants resounded the need for change, especially for the Swazi regime, to allow multi-party democracy and do away with the monarchy type of government.

…… “My mother was a kitchen girl; my father was a garden boy, that’s why I’m a socialist….” These are the words of a song popular amongst Swazi youth. It is one out of many that Swazi youth use to resonate their feelings and criticizing the government for oppressing its people and not promoting freedom of expression.

But in as much as there is a common need for taking responsibility and turning things around, irrespective of the fact that it may be silent, the message was that of “Things must change.” The Tunisians put it clearly “Dictators must go!”

In my opinion, I concur that change is inevitable. We all know that poor leadership translates into poor governance, un-equality, un-equal sharing of resources, corruption and in the case of Rwanda, the genocide that claimed the lives of a million innocent people. God forbid, we do not want to see another genocide in Africa. The methods used in 1994 to liberate Rwanda and stop the mass massacres may not be applicable now, but maybe this is why we have digital tools that can help us put change into motion. So the youth are lucky and what they need to do is simply put their speech into practice. The major question is that of sustainability, how we put into action all we have said in a meaningful manner.

Another important aspect that came out of Africamp is the issues of planning and setting clear, understandable strategies for change based on the fact that effective planning and strategizing is the basic ingredient of post-change eras. Democratically electing leaders who will implement these plans and strategies.

Again, democracy, as was defined in the many definitions raised is the right of citizens to vote for leaders of their choice. So this brings up the question, how significant is the power of the vote?

In African societies, we have seen leaders taking advantage of the youth with as little as a bottle of beer for a vote and or wooing the rural illiterate with a sack of maize for a vote.

This simply means that the educated youth, who have defined everything technically should also inform and educate the rural illiterate who are misled by these our leaders. One of the group discussions highlighted how difficult it is to educate our people about human rights, how difficult it is to simplify issues for the local population. This again raises the question of understanding. Youth understanding what they are advocating for whether it is the rights of the disabled, women and girls or even homosexuals and what impact it has on them. It is meaningless to come up with good concept papers and strategies that cannot be understood and implemented.

Then came HIV/AIDS, does the sound of it still make people shudder? Maybe, maybe not. One of the group exercises in form of skits played out many scenarios experienced in our daily lives. Those who still shy away from the issue of HIV/AIDS, those who have ceased to care, those who have heard enough, and those who still want to make a difference. Then again, we cannot pretend that AIDS doesn’t exist; we know full well that AIDS is wiping out the youth left, right and centre in Africa stimulated by the reckless trends youth have adopted across the continent.

All in all, after discussion, debate, song and dance, the common understanding is that youth are the catalyst of change and if we do not take the bull by the horns then lamenting will continue to be the order of the day. We need to be part of the change we want to see in our countries. We need to come back to Swaziland and hear the youth sing a different song.

What African Youth need to know!

Life is a journey we all have to face! Some will sleep, others crawl, many walk and few jog or run through this journey. The path might not be the same but believe me the playing field will be; All i ask from you is to hold the hand of your neighbor and not let go until he or she finishes the journey. Thank You

More info; @ www.discoveryfaces.net

Just before I jumped to celebrate the arrest of ,Laurent Gbago, my joy was cut short by the news that I had  lost my grandmother,

“………….. much as it was painful to see her join her ancestors in some sort of eternity,  it was obvious that she had been living an  overtime” the preacher  said, adding  that not many of us could pass the 90^th year mark that she had passed.

My grandmother herself had accepted this fact and would often tell me that at her age, she had lost everything, appetite, Sight, voice, ear  and even smile… for her smile no longer looked liked one.

She could insist that the world was meant for young people and that she regrets surrendering her youthful years to the generation that followed. Like all of us she might not have liked departing from her youth but it had to happen “I could not negotiate with the clock to remain in my youth “she could joke.

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This message comes from the deep recesses of a once-troubled African soul. ‘Once-troubled’ because whereas a few months back I was worried sick about the fate of my country and indeed democracy, right now, I am filled with joy because at long last, we have started seeing that tiny ray of light, evident from the outcome of our parliamentary elections.
It was a long walk to April 2011 elections and the walk was marred by so many threats of, and in some instances, outright violent attacks on any effort at peaceful and credible elections. Bomb blasts resonated in various parts of the country causing great loss of lives and property. Kidnappings became rampant and assassinations abound. The politicians got desperate to get or cling to their power whilst Nigerians became too fed-up and obstinate to wallow in apathy anymore. Whilst the political wheels rallied and campaigned for votes, the masses, and indeed, the youths of Nigeria, supported by the CSOs rallied and campaigned for free and fair elections devoid of violence.

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The Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA), the Swaziland Programme and the Open Society Youth Initiative, will be hosting the second iteration of the week-long AfriCamp Youth Conference in Swaziland on the 5th-11th June 2011. AfriCamp is a continental platform providing the space for young people from across the continent to engage, debate and critically reflect on the multiple issues facing them. This AfriCamp will be a key event on the calendar given the recent surge in political protest amongst the youth in North Africa and the Middle East. AfriCamp is an advocacy drive aimed at engaging, reviewing and monitoring the progress on policy matters, with the intention of arriving at effective recommendations for African governments and generally civil society in their programming on youth. In addition, the camp will include training sessions and workshops, which will provide spaces for participants to acquire skills in creative social messaging techniques that may be used to enhance their work.

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