Abstract
The widespread, youth-driven demands for better governance across the continent, which variously manifest as mass protests, democratic rallying and organizing for youth- sponsored candidates in election contests, and recently in militarized seizures of power in the form of coups d’e´tats, are an attestation of the power of youth agency. While studies have centred on the performative character of this agency, it is pertinent that the communicative element that drives this agency be investigated. It is for this reason that our panel explores the pivotal role of youth language in driving political disruption and fostering generational shifts in governance within Africa. By examining the linguistic practices of young people, the study seeks to highlight how language serves as a tool for political expression, mobilization, and resistance. It delves into the ways in which youth language reflects and shapes their political identities and aspirations, contributing to broader societal changes. The panel also investigates the impact of digital communication platforms and social media on youth political engagement, illustrating how these mediums amplify their voices and facilitate collective action. In this regard, our panel presents papers and discussion that deploy both qualitative and quantitative research methods to provide a reflective analysis of the dynamic interplay between language, youth, and political transformation in some studied African spaces.
Key words
Youth language, political expression, digital communication, political transformation
Presentations
Peter Simatei
Moi University (Kenya)
The Language of Protest Among Kenyan Youth in Music, Art, and Theatre
In Kenya, the youth have long used creative expression as a powerful tool for protest, channeling their frustrations, hopes, and demands for change through music, visual art, and theatre. This paper explores how young Kenyans employ these mediums as forms of resistance against socio-political injustices, economic struggles, and systemic oppression. Music, particularly in genres like hip-hop and spoken word poetry, serves as a sonic battleground where artists critique corruption, police brutality, and inequality. Similarly, street art and graffiti have emerged as vibrant forms of visual dissent, with anonymous artists painting murals that question governance and advocate for accountability. Theatre, especially in community and experimental spaces, dramatizes real-life struggles, engaging audiences in thought-provoking narratives that demand action and reform. This paper examines the language of protest embedded in these creative forms.
Adedoyinsola Omowunmi Eleshin
University of Lagos (Nigeria)
Analysing the Dynamics of Language Use and Campaign slangs in Nigerian Political Space
Campaign is an integral part of every political engagement. Political parties engage in campaigns prior to elections, and the major goal of these campaigns is for their candidates to emerge victorious. Intentional language use and carefully crafted slangs during campaigns is one of the ways candidates employ to achieve conviction of the general public. More like it is also posting of posters and banners carrying individualised slangs. This study examines the dynamism in language use and individually developed slangs on political posters and during campaign speeches in selected Yoruba states. This will be done by analysing linguistic process employed in developing such slangs and emerging shift in usage and semantics in the society post campaign. The study will also examine language use during campaigns and reaction of the general public especially the youth to certain expressions during and after election exercise. Data for this study will be gathered by taking pictures of political posters during transient walk and listening to video and audio recordings during campaigns. The aim of this study is to interrogate shift in language use and emerging slangs during and after political campaigns, with a possible propagation by the youth population as a form of temporalities.
Oluwatoyin Olokodana-James:
University of Lagos (Nigeria)
Language as Artistic and Performative Media in Online Youth Political Conversations
Youth engagement in political spaces has become commonplace in many politically charged societies and regions. Beyond the culture of occupying the streets, promoting belligerence, and aggravating public anger, their participation in politics and political processes has grown significantly due to the advent of social media platforms connecting people of similar and divergent political and cultural interests. By employing creative linguistic stratagems, their voices are articulated against lousy governance; they mobilize support and position themselves as agents of mass change. Youth agencies have not only brought about paradigm shifts in how their roles and positions have been conceived, they have also initiated and instilled compelling structures that shaped the Nigerian political landscape. Against this backdrop, this study explores the interplay of language as an artistic form and language as a performative art in selected online youth political conversations. This study's objectives include (i) interrogating language as a medium for constructivist and de-constructivist youth political expression and engagement. (ii) Evaluating language as a tool for political persuasion, solidarity, and the shaping of collective consciousness. (iii) Assessing the artistic ingenuity of language and its performative essence in online youth political conversations. (iv) Highlighting the impact of their collective voices on political decisions and changes in the digital age. The study's data is gathered from various online sources including political conversations, interviews, dialogues, songs, rhetorical framings, and artistic memes circulated on different social media platforms. However, the scope of this study is limited to the Nigerian political space.