A meandering interview over coffee in Clichy with Adeola Ojeniyi, the Youth Keynote Speaker, has injected a rayon of hope in what generally seems to be a desperate global situation (I am a pessimist, mind you). As Regional Program Coordinator for the West Africa Youth Network or WAYN, Ojeniyi will be helping kick-off the conference tomorrow morning. While a longer version of this interview will be published in our first internal news brief on Thursday – I will post a copy here as well – I wanted to highlight one or two key concepts.
Through WAYN, Ojeniyi works primarily in conflict resolution and analysis, as well as leadership, among West African youth. From training youth in these fields to brokering a dialogue between youth and West African MPs in the Youth Parliamentary Forum, he wants to build the confidence of Generation Y to engage their political leaders, while also equipping these leaders with the knowledge to respond effectively. In the long run, the hope is that a political space will be created which accepts those who remain accountable to West Africa’s youth, an estimated 55% of the region’s population, and rejects those who don’t.
After several months living in Nairobi, I am continually mystified by the overwhelming importance of Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga, Kenya’s President and Prime Minister. Compared to Canada, where the Prime Minister is expected to act as equal to other MPs, there is almost a god-like status applied to Kenya’s Heads of State. In turn, this takes considerable power away from MPs – representatives of the people – who are the true harbingers and initators of change. Time after time, breaking this cycle has proved elusive. As Ojeniyi describes, the “cult of the personality” is deeply engrained in many African cultures where hierarchy and autocracy are key features of any community governing system.
So, how to counter this trend? Ojeniyi highlights three methods. First of all, one opens a “corridor of information” between youth and their respective MPs. This gives the latter the necessary information to come forth in Parliament and speak for the people. Currently, there exists a huge gap between civil society and MPs themselves. Second of all, it requires a change in mind set, fostered by these peace-building conferences that train people in non-violent methods of conflict resolution. Having these tools at hand is necessary when faced with conflicting interests. Lastly, it is about blocking the political platform to dictatorial leaders. This is accomplished through the above: youth training and empowerment, however vague those terms may be, ensures that people engage in a sustained effort to unseat those who do not fit the democratic bill.
Long story short, Ojeniyi’s undeterred beliefs and methods are key to long-term change. Development, peace-building and other related fields are often filled with empty jargon that mystifies (and bores) the average reader. But, slowly, by listening to people like Ojeniyi, I am beginning to understand the root of this elusivenes: change is not something that happens overnight, continued influence and pressure makes subtle ripples that eventually compound in a big change – like Obama’s Presidency – or in small changes, like sustained peace, which unfortunately often go unnoticed.
