On Monday, 12 August 2024, the Namibia Media Trust (NMT) hosted its sixth annual YouthQuake conference at the Goethe-Institut in Windhoek. This year’s event, held under the theme “Next Generation Democracy: Inspiring Youth to Lead and Innovate,” celebrated International Youth Day by focusing on the crucial role of young Namibians in shaping the country’s democratic future.
Jessica Uiras, NMT project lead, emphasised the growing disconnect between Namibian youth and traditional political processes. With the 2024 elections approaching, Uiras highlighted the need for youth empowerment in political and civic processes to ensure their voices are heard and their contributions recognised.
The conference featured thought-provoking panel discussions with experts from various fields. One of the key speakers, Christie Keulder, a renowned political researcher, addressed the urgent need to push for youth inclusion in policy-making and representation. He pointed out a significant gap between voter registration and turnout among young people, attributing this to economic deprivation and a pervasive “I don’t care” attitude towards democracy.
Keulder posed a challenging question to the audience: “How can we change this?” While acknowledging the task’s difficulty, he suggested that religious organisations, often more trusted than political ones, could play a vital role. He also introduced CIVIC+264, an information hub to foster civic engagement among the youth.
The panel discussion on “Youth and Political Engagement in Namibia,” moderated by Jessica Uiras, brought together influential voices like Naita Haitjono, Executive Director of the Namibian Institute of Democracy (NID), Daniel Haimbidi, SRC for Information Communication at Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST), and Roswita Haindungu from the Institute for Public Policy Research.
Haitjono urged the youth to familiarise themselves with the Namibian Constitution to be well-informed about their rights. She stressed that participation in politics is essential as it directly influences the changes that affect young people. Haindungu added that patriotism and a genuine love for Namibia should ignite the youth’s involvement in political processes. She advocated for addressing voter apathy by engaging in student activism and youth leagues, which could lead to a more politically active youth population.
Haimbidi shared his experiences traveling to universities across Southern Africa, where he learned about the best practices for fostering student engagement in politics. He emphasised the importance of educational tours and collaboration among universities in Namibia to promote civic education.
A key takeaway from the panel was the importance of strategic voting. The audience was encouraged to vote based on issues rather than party ideologies or family traditions. Haitjono highlighted the significance of political manifestos in shaping the country’s future and urged young voters to understand these documents thoroughly.
The second panel discussion featured prominent figures like Merilyn Kazetjikuria, Deputy Director of the Division Democracy Building/at the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN), Dr. John Nakuta, a Law Lecturer at UNAM, and Joseph Ndodi, the founder of the NGO Social Enabled Education Namibia. The discussion focused on the role of academic institutions in voter education and civic engagement. Dr. Katuta proposed lowering the voting age to 16, arguing that it would provide the youth with a better opportunity to participate in democracy actively.
In closing, Ndodi emphasised the importance of critical thinking over party loyalty, stating, “If you don’t go into politics, politics will do you.” Dr. Katuta echoed this sentiment, calling for inclusivity in political spaces, while Ms Kazetjikuria reassured the audience of continued efforts to foster more discussions like YouthQuake.
At YouthQuake 2024, I spoke with Matthews Kambuze, a Youth Activist and Motivational Speaker, who shared his journey from being a volunteer to a speaker at the event. Kambuze expressed his long-standing passion for YouthQuake, having joined the movement in 2020. This year, he was invited to speak on youth empowerment and political participation, topics close to his heart.
He noted that the event transformed his understanding of political participation. He previously viewed politics as relevant only to those in the political field but now sees it as essential for everyone. He emphasised, “Politics will do you if you don’t do politics.” This realisation has inspired him to become more actively involved in political processes.
Kambuze encouraged young people to seek information actively and avoid ignorance, stating, “If you’re not informed, you’ll be deformed.” He highlighted the importance of being informed to make quality decisions that ultimately shape one’s life, stating that, “to be able to make the right decisions because the quality of the information you’re exposed to influences the quality of the decisions you make and the quality of the decisions you make influences the quality of your life”.
YouthQuake 2024 successfully provided a platform for young Namibians to engage in meaningful political discourse. The conference highlighted the challenges faced by the youth in political participation and offered actionable solutions to overcome these hurdles. As Namibia prepares for the 2024 elections, it is clear that the youth must play a central role in shaping the country’s democratic future.
