About the Podcast
Africa Connect is a podcast series aimed at exploring African topics around democracy. It runs on the theme: Deepening Democracy through information. Democracy is centre to the development agenda of The Africa we want. As an African blueprint, the Agenda 2063 aims to transform Africa into a global powerhouse. Borrowing from the Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want, as per its mandate to “prioritise inclusive social and economic development, continental and regional integration, democratic governance and peace and security amongst other issues aimed at repositioning Africa to becoming a dominant player in the global arena”[1], this podcast series aims to touch on some of these issues and stories and provide understanding to the African citizen.
[1] Extracted from: Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want. | African Union (au.int)
About the Episode
We take a dive into Kenyan politics to discuss the recent youth led political demonstrations. Young people continue to be involved in politics. While such political conversations are a common occurrence, they are taking place within larger spaces. Virtual spaces have become the kinds of spaces where policy and traditional power structures are challenged and grappled with. Such trends have not only occurred in Kenya but generally spread throughout the continent. As the youngest continent, Africa has had many youth-led movements. What is common is the social media posting, organizing, sharing, chanting and marching of the youth.
While social media continues to play a huge role in amplifying social, economic and political issues and grievances across the globe, what is significant is its independent role in both democratic and totalitarian governments. With the possibilities of freedoms of speech, social media helps in coordinating protests and gives a voice to unpopular views.
About the guest
Dr. Paul Kariuki holds a Ph.D. in Administration (Public Administration) from the University of
KwaZulu Natal (UKZN). He is the Executive Director of the Democracy Development Program
(DDP), a national think tank based in Durban, South Africa. He is an honorary research senior
lecturer at the School of Management, IT, and Governance, UKZN. He qualified with a Masters
Degree in Development Studies, where he specialized in development economics and public
policy. Furthermore, he has published research articles in peer-reviewed journals and co-edited
fifteen books on various themes.