GERONTOCRACY IN AFRICA: THE WISDOM OF THE OLD AND THE INTELLIGENCE OF THE YOUTH|| Soyoye Testimony
“This is not class warfare; this is generational warfare. This administration of the old and wealthy people has declared war on young people. That is the real war that is going on, would you let me see beneath your beautiful, would you let me see beneath your perfect. That is the war we’ve got to talk about.” – James Carville.
About a month ago, stories of the Uganda election frequented our phone’s screens. A tug of war between a seventy seven year old veteran guerilla warfare man and a young man fighting tooth and nail to be the hero who would liberate the country from the hands of the man who feels like demi-god.
Bobi Wine, Yoweri Museveni a picture perfect of gerontocracy in the African politics.
Gerontocracy in its simplest form is best described as ascribing special reference for the older generation while reserving special seats for the elders in the decision making process.
Gerontocracy is not merely a political terminology; it is rather a sociopolitical term.
Gerontocracy abounds in the African culture although it first originated in ancient Greece. The African culture celebrates the wisdom of the old, the ancestors at the expense of the intelligence of the youth.
The Yoruba people, a tribe in Africa’s most populated country would often say “Oun tí àgbà rí lórí ìjókǒ, ojú ọmọdé ò le ríi tí ó bá gun orí igi lọ” which when loosely translated to English means “what an elder can see while sitting, a young lad wouldn’t be able to catch a glimpse even if he climbs a tree.”
“The world demands the qualities of youth: not a time of life, but a state of mind, a temper of the will, a quality of imagination, a predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure and the love of ease.” – Robert Kennedy.
It is unwise to state that our elders are of little importance. We need them, their stories of failure and success, their wisdom, and their knowledge, more we can get from reading a thousand books. They are voices unseen, the invisible hands that guide our every step.
What then do we desire?
We desire a system whereby the youth can take the lead while the elders willingly give us a template to guide us as we scribble on paper our success stories.
“Youth are the leaders of tomorrow” – Nelson Mandela.
Tomorrow is not a later time in the future, tomorrow is now – the present.
We a society where the older generation can be assured that their legacies wouldn’t be destroyed for we have been disciplined to choose right over wrong and defend our posterity.
“Rather than standing or speaking for children, we need to stand with the children speaking for themselves. We do not need a political movement for children… We need to build environments and policies for our collective future” – Sandra.
Bio
Soyoye Testimony is a reader, writer, poet, and a budding linguist. She has a flare for African literature and believes in preserving and promoting the African heritage.She volunteers at TVO TRIBE and interns at Campus Community Network. She believes in being hardworking, disciplined, and goal oriented. Her Instagram handle is @tessiemoney.