The conversation on cultural content creation that is authentic to Africa, and created by youth from the continent continues. Fear of the Youth is a new webisode straight out of BubblegumClub in collaboration with Germ Heals productions.
The series will feature content created by and relevant to urban African youth. In this vein, the first episode is about the students of South Africa and the FeesMustFall movement. Fear of the Youth goes onto Wits campus to document the protests and the grievances of South Africa’s student population fighting for the free education and the socio-economic upliftment that democracy and the end of Apartheid promised Africans. It is an observation on the struggles of blackness in the ‘new’ South Africa, including the struggle of the students and the outsourced workers at Wits as well; the people who labour to maintain the facilities of an institution without reaping the same benefits as other staff members.
The title of the show is telling, and unfortunately true, the youth of this nation, one of it’s most precious and potent resources are speaking truth to power and collectively creating spaces and conversations on how to decolonise this country in more meaningful ways than renaming highways. For their efforts the state has sanctioned violence against them and their places of learning are militarised and policed. How time and tides have changed in the ruling party.
Subversion of the status quo is necessary to balance the scales that have been historically set against women and people of colour. The violence against young people, particularly young women and transgender people must stop, the exploitation of the historically black labour force must stop, and the subjugation of African voices and bodies by whiteness through its hegemony and institutionalised racism must stop. These statements are the simple truths of attaining equality. Get with it or go to Australia.
