A platform for dialogue; healthy, heated debate and a mouthpiece for expression. These three characteristics are becoming more necessary, and desired, by the youth of our day. The Rainbow Babies have found their set of chords and are putting them to good use.
A generation of cognisant, civil-minded activists has emerged from post-Apartheid South Africa. Calling the government to account through the media has become ubiquitous, and more importantly, encouraged and accepted in—and by—society. Youth programmes promote critical-thinking, blogging has become more accessible and is in itself positioned for the use of the youth, media houses release youth discussions in their publications and even hold public-dialogue meetings which discuss youth issues meant for prioritisation.
One only has to review South Africa’s most recent election campaign: political parties, taking a note out of the American presidential election race’s book which sent shock waves throughout the world of electioneering, appeared on social-networking websites. Rallies, endorsed at times by some of South Africa’s contemporary music artists, were held in an attempt to tap into the vigour of the youth. South Africa’s university campuses were hotly-divided along political lines; political party youth leaders—and even party leaders— jetsetted across the country and stretched across campuses in order to reach the one million new registered youth voters. The youth, without intended effort, profoundly made their mark on South Africa’s political landscape. A new trend in the behaviour of political parties, how they canvass voters and the issues they choose to define a political campaign, has emerged and will continue to engage the youth in politics.
The Soapbox aptly illustrates the youth’s involvement in South Africa. The youth should continue to demand an involvement in issues which determine their future and practice unwavering vigilance and criticism: this is the price we all have to pay for democracy.
Sean is seventeen years of age, fifteen years of which he spent in a democracy.
