{"id":986,"date":"2019-09-07T21:16:41","date_gmt":"2019-09-07T21:16:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/governancesolutions.wordpress.com\/?p=986"},"modified":"2022-04-05T16:30:55","modified_gmt":"2022-04-05T16:30:55","slug":"listen-to-the-youth-mr-politician","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sunesishq.com\/notes\/listen-to-the-youth-mr-politician\/","title":{"rendered":"LISTEN TO THE YOUTH, MR POLITICIAN"},"content":{"rendered":"

The artistic sub-cultures or communities in any society can be used to test the pulse of the country. Art is simply a visual expression of facts, thoughts, and ideas in the form of a painting, sculpture or a music video. Today, I would like to discuss the lamentation and rants of a segment of the youth expressed through two music videos. Ghana’s <\/span>current <\/span>political regime is a paternalistic winner-takes-all strain of democracy, although internationally, it purports to practice a multiparty republican strain of democracy awash with free speech and citizen participation. The former is not big on free speech especially when it criticizes the government. This is because criticism is sometimes perceived as an insult, offense, or political jab. That notwithstanding there are certain things that are pivotal to the success of a democracy and these are stated in the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana:<\/span><\/p>\n

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Article 21 (1) All persons shall have the right to (a) freedom<\/u><\/strong><\/span> of speech and expression<\/u>, which shall include freedom<\/strong><\/span> of the press and other media;(b) freedom<\/strong><\/span> of thought, conscience and belief, which shall include academic freedom;(c) freedom<\/strong><\/span> to practice any religion and to manifest such practice. <\/span><\/p>\n

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It is not a coincidence that freedom of speech and expression is the first listed because it is a linchpin upon which hangs all the other freedoms as a nation. <\/span><\/p>\n

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These freedoms determine whether a nation’s people remain free or fall to a terrible tyranny.\u00a0 Understandably, freedom of speech may on occasion offend someone because of how it is presented, but the citizenry should never be controlled by the fear of offending someone to the point of almost completely shackling free expression. This is unhealthy for a democracy. <\/span><\/p>\n

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The videos that will be discussed are an exercise of the freedom of speech and expression of the artists. <\/span><\/p>\n

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LISTEN TO THE YOUTH<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Does the youth have something to say to politicians? Why should politicians pay attention to them? To answer this, let us first define governance. According to the <\/span>World Bank<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Governance <\/span>is, “the manner in which power is exercised in the management of a country’s economic<\/strong> and social resources<\/strong> for development.” <\/span>If the youth feel that the management of the country’s economic and social resources are not being administered in a way that promotes inclusive development, then as citizens and people affected by such governance, they have the right to voice out their concerns and the government MUST listen. Why? The Sovereignty of Ghana resides in the people of Ghana (not the government) in whose name and for whose welfare<\/span> the powers of government are to be exercised per the 1992 Constitution. The purpose of government according to the supreme law of Ghana is to “secure for ourselves, and posterity the blessings of liberty (freedom), equality of opportunity and prosperity”. If the youth feel this is not being done, then as the Sovereign, they can demand Justice, Probity, and Accountability from elected officials.
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For the purposes of our discussion, I will define youth as anyone below the age of 34. <\/span>Why should anyone pay attention to the youth? <\/span>First and foremost, they are citizens and that should suffice. Also, if economic resources were divided up per demographic, they would own a significant percentage. After all, they are 73 percent of the populace. Furthermore, they and their children are the ones who will inherit future debt and other consequences of any mismanagement today. They are also the ones bearing the brunt of cumulative bad policies that have led to a weak educational, labour and industrial system that has spurred youth under-employability, unemployment, \u00a0and human insecurity. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Politicians should also listen because, at present, Africa is undergoing a youth bulge. More than 60% of its population is 24 years old or younger, according to the <\/span>United Nations World Populations Prospects<\/span><\/a><\/span>. Put differently, 6 out of every 10 Africans is 24 years of age or younger. To get a better perspective, Africa\u2019s population is 1,308,064,000 or 1.3 billion (<\/span>2019 Est<\/span><\/a><\/span>). 60% of 1.3 billion is 784,838,400. The\u00a0population of sub-Saharan\u00a0Africa is <\/span>projected to double by 2050\u00a0 (99%). The average median age of a Ghanaian in 2015 was 20.7 and in 2020 it is estimated to be 21.5. This means that Ghana is a country with a young populace. Ghana\u2019s population is currently 30,417,000 (30 million) and by 2020 estimates, 22,339,000\u00a0 (22 million) of the 30 million people will be under the age of 34. Put differently, about 73.33% of the Ghanaian populace is under 34 years of age\u2014that is 7 out of every 10 Ghanaians. It makes sense that their concerns should be heard.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Africa signed the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and many within the sub-region are happy because the CFTA is estimated to bring together fifty-four African countries with a combined population of more than one billion people and a combined gross domestic product of more than <\/span>US $3.4 trillion<\/span><\/a><\/span>. However, this will not amount to much if a sizable portion of the populace, that is, the youth, are poor, disenfranchised, unemployed, uneducated, and unhealthy. Such a status quo could constitute a security risk for the continent and its nations. For the AfCFTA to mean anything, governments across the region must tackle Education, Employment, Hunger, Poverty, Health, Shelter etc.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Politicians will do well to listen to the average youth\u2014not just those who belong to the youth arms of their political parties It is unwise to test the pulse of a nation by listening only to those who have allegiance towards your party.<\/span><\/p>\n

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WHAT IS THE YOUTH SAYING?<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

This section will discuss the summary contents of two music videos, namely:<\/span><\/p>\n

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