COVID-19 and the national lockdown have brought widespread distress.
In very unlikely ways, COVID-19 has also presented social, economic and political opportunities that the young people can take advantage of to advance democracy, accountability and human rights.
In a very unusual way, COVID-19 has disrupted the political and economic landscapes of different countries through reshaping the political and economic order.
Politically, as COVID-19 ravages the world and disrupts the global political order in ways that are unimaginable, highlighted by the social justice campaigns occurring globally from the calls for #BlackLivesMatter to the #ZimbabweanLivesMatter, it is time for the youth to stand united.
Last year demonstrated the power of the rising social and economic justice movements such as #ZimbabweanLivesMatter.
In less than three months, the #ZimbabweanLivesMatter protests led by the youth online shifted public opinion on corruption, socio-economic issues, politics, toppled high-profile executives and gathered international attention in a quest to stop human rights violations in Zimbabwe.
The COVID-19 times call for responsible youth leadership of an exceptional and courageous kind, as the youth have the responsibility to protect their future.
This potentially has a huge political impact in Africa, and particularly Zimbabwe, where the mean age of the population is approximately 18, and youths comprise over 45% of the voters’ roll.
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Zimbabwe has its next elections in 2023. The young leaders and activists of our time must start to imagine and organise how this election will play out based upon the lessons we have had from Malawi and the United States that conducted elections during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Redefining the democratic space must be a responsibility of young people as their leadership and activism will be essential for the participation of the youths in governance.
Zimbabwean youth in particular must see the opportunities availed by the pandemic and capitalise on them to assume different leadership roles in the economic and political sectors.
Recommendations
Currently, since the pandemic is on-going, it is important for young people to be present and develop strategies under the COVID-19 environment that allow the youth to self-mobilise to increase participation in governance and democracy.
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