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The good thing about being a parent to children of a certain age is that, if you are curious, you can learn a lot about social, cultural, and political movements in the youth universe.
If you are a shrewd businesswoman, you can make a fortune off it. I was intrigued that young Kenyans have a very fixed view of what the “right price” for a mandazi or plate of chips is, and will leave a kiosk where it is selling for the “wrong” price, and walk, ride, or drive – even if it costs more in the end — half a kilometre away to buy it for what they consider the appropriate tag.
If you are less worldly, and believe in saving the world, the knowledge is helpful for how to engage more creatively with this mysterious species of human.
It was in this way that I got to listen to a Nigerian alternative rapper and singer called Santi, also known as Ozzy B. He’s 27.
His stuff, even for grownups whose musical ears are more attuned to the standards, is quite good.
Upon further reading, one discovers that Santi is one of the doyens of the “Alté Movement,” which blends all sorts of music styles and genres, is anti-establishment, and pays homage to Africa’s revolutionary past. Naturally, therefore, it is littered with paeans to rebellious and wild men like Fela Kuti.
But perhaps the most surprising thing is that in an age in which youthful music is often laced with too much misogyny, booty popping, and lots of naked body bits, “alté” videos are awash with goth and a positive voice, and you hardly see any naughty female parts.
In that sense, it is probably the closest youthful African music gets to the #MeToo ethic.
Placed on a broader canvas, it represents an important emerging picture of how young Africans are inheriting the Earth, one that is worth paying attention to.
Some years ago, our daughter asked for a little more than change. She wanted to go out for a weekend with a bunch of her school friends. Nothing unusual there for a teenager, until we looked closely.
Most of the money was going to buy collection bags, and stuff people need to climb mountains. But this particular trip to the mountains was to collect the plastic and other rubbish that less considerate climbers discard on Mount Longonot. And collect a lot of it they did.
If you search African Twitter, there are inspiring stories of youth everywhere on the continent throwing themselves into the war against plastics and waste. They are recycling in endless ways.
In Uganda, there’s a collective of young professionals who come together under Kafunda Kreatives. A little less lively these days, they used to travel around the country photographing and tweeting their encounters.
They called their journals Koi Koi, which is the call our mothers and grandmothers made before regaling us with folktales. They offered up a fascinating view of how their generation saw the country, and dreamt of its future. Much like Santi and his alté band.
There are some times when I go to bed, safe in the feeling that we grownups have screwed up Africa, but these young ones, they just may fix it.
Charles Onyango-Obbo is publisher of data visualiser Africapaedia and Rogue Chiefs. [email protected]
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