How young Africans find liberation

A challenger to Uganda’s strongman speaks to a generation’s desire for equality and truth.

The Monitor's View

When Africans began to shake off colonial rule six decades ago and formed independent states, new leaders used their roles in the liberation to justify their hold on power. Now a new generation of Africans has flipped the script. They want liberation from leaders who frequently overstay their welcome.

The latest example is Uganda, where a musician from the ghettos of Kampala was able to mount a challenge to President Yoweri Museveni – who has ruled for 35 years – in a tightly controlled election on Thursday. This challenger’s popularity is based in large part on his understanding of what motivates young Africans struggling for genuine democracy – a desire for equality and truthfulness.

“I know so many freedom fighters have been through the doors of jail, but again, they walked out free, and I know that truth wins always,” said Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, who is widely known as Bobi Wine, in an interview with OkayAfrica.

He was not referring to the giants of Africa’s liberation struggles like Nelson Mandela, but the Ugandan poets and opposition leaders who – like himself – have been jailed and tortured for challenging Mr. Museveni.

Fair elections are still rare in Africa even two decades after its leaders adopted a set of principles for democracy. Despite the slow progress, sitting presidents in Liberia, South Africa, Senegal, and Gambia have given up power peacefully. In 2017 Kenya’s Supreme Court forced a new presidential election after the first vote was marred by violence. Last year a court in Malawi annulled a fraudulent election.

Those developments show democratic norms are taking root. But they remain the exception. That may explain why public support for democracy remains tentative. A survey by the Ichikowitz Family Foundation in 14 countries last year found that while African youth are optimistic about the future, they are divided when asked to choose between stable government and democracy. According to a poll by Afrobarometer, only 14% of Africans said they trusted opposition parties “a lot,” while 34% expressed “no trust at all.”

As a member of parliament, Mr. Wine has challenged the ruling party on a number of fronts, such as Mr. Museveni’s effort to change the constitution to enable him to seek a sixth term. For this he was arrested. Upon his release, he wrote a new song with these words: “What was the purpose of the liberation / When we can’t have a peaceful transition?”

In November, security forces shot 54 people protesting his detention. Before the election, he was banned from campaigning and performing. His driver was killed. Despite these setbacks, his idealism keeps inspiring young Ugandans.

“Do not fear, because fear is the only barrier between us and the country we want to live in,” he told them in a Deutsche Welle documentary. And in a message to the president, he said, “I want you to know that this is not a war. We don’t hate you.”

Such words help young Africans liberate themselves first before challenging the traditional “big men” who cling to power. Mr. Wine may not officially win Thursday’s election. Vote rigging remains the norm. But he’s won it in many other ways.