Numerous elections on the African continent this year have many on the ground and international observers alike feeling hopeful. Why? The continent’s youth population is disproportionately large, while the average age of African leaders hovers between 60 and 70 years. The resulting dynamic has raised tensions in many countries as young voters feel that their elderly leaders are unresponsive – out of touch.
The East African nation of Uganda serves as a perfect example through which to better understand this increasingly common phenomenon. Thanks to Bobi Wine, the musician-turned-parliamentarian who’s been a victim of the Museveni administration’s repressive tactics, the youth revolution in Africa now has a face – and a voice.
Writing in an Africa Policy Brief for the Egmont Institute, a think tank, Kristof Titeca elaborates further on Museveni, Bobi Wine, and political future of Uganda.
Read the full Africa Policy Brief from the Egmont Institute here.