Let the Youth Define their own Struggle
A generational gap exists between every current generation and the preceding generation. The preceding generation has a tendency of always casting the assertion that the current generation is a ‘lost’ generation. Soweto uprising leader Seth Mazibuko asked a very important question that all old people should ask themselves: “When we were young we were told that we are a lost generation because we left our family responsibilities to join the struggle and go to exile as well as prison. If we say that the youth of today are lost, then what are we doing to find them?”. What the generation that fought against apartheid must understand is that the youth are the products of the society they created.
Frantz Fanon has explained that each generation has its own mission; however he does not say that a previous generation must define the mission of the current generation. The fact that the youth are not fighting an overtly racist and violent regime does not mean current struggle is a bed of roses. The youth should be given the necessary space to define their struggle without being told to be patient and less angry while they live in the most unequal society in the world. #FeesMustFall is the first step in the realisation of a generational mission and fulfilling the promises that the older generation made pre and post democracy. The youth can not afford to live on promises which do not fill the stomach.
Socially the youth is increasingly being ravaged by alcohol abuse, substance abuse and crime among many other social ills. The youth must accept part of the the blame but so should the parenting generation. What happens to a generation where sports, arts and other extramural activities are not highly organised starting at school level? They fall prey to social ills because they have too much time on their hands. Talent is lost between doing nothing and abusing alcohol because not all schools and communities have the diverse sporting/cultural activities that this new generation want to try. Sporting codes such hammer throwing, judo, swimming, golf, formula one racing, I mean half of the games played in the Olympics majority of black youth only see on television and never in their communities/schools. It does not even need a sports scientist to explain why our medal achievements were well below 20 and other the top countries are around 120. Countries with smaller economies than South Africa received more medals than us.
The last issue that must be demystified is the notion that youth has it better off. Credit must be given to the older generation for defeating apartheid but discredit must be given to them for not dismantling the apartheid economic structure that keeps black people at the bottom of the economic hierarchy. As the rainbow begins to fade the youth is left with the struggle of transforming a white dominated economy and its comprador bourgeoisie. The South African economy was not designed to work for all the citizens of this country. Patience is important but blacks can not be imprisoned to another 20 years of patience while the material conditions are not changing much.
If the status quo is not changed 14 million South Africans will continue to go to bed hungry everyday. Corruption will continue to eat away at our society until we are kleptocratic state. African countries have been there before, the cycle must end. Only a youth that does not aim to mimic current corrupt leaders can do so. Only a youth that refuse to be used as political tools can do so. Only a revolutionary youth who want to pave their own way can do so. ANCYL 1940s youth managed to discover their mission and they managed to defeat the greatest crime against humanity.
The youth must set out to achieve a true non-racial society by destroying whiteness as a social construct and build a society in which Steve Biko said “…there shall be no majority there shall be no minority shall just be people”. The youth must lay the foundation for a better future through struggle and sacrifice.
Mogale Daniel Matsose holds a honours degree in Political Science & International Relations (NWU)
