Why Afresist?
Youth-led movements in Africa following Tunisia’s nonviolent revolution receive relatively little scholarly attention, media coverage and organizing support compared with other regions.
The grievances that erupted in the popular movements in this and other African countries,Benin, Burkina Faso, Togo, Egypt, Libya, Nigeria, Mauritania, Djibouti, Angola were very similar, aiming to bring down long-entrenched authoritarian rulers, or rising up against exploitative economic systems, corruption, inequality and, in particular, youth marginalization. The political and economic contexts of these countries are very similar, and so are their struggles and aspirations.
African youth are organizing in new ways of activism and utilizing new tools like social media and artistic expression to communicate and raise awareness about their causes.
Importantly, they seek to change the status quo, and balance power relations in highly asymmetric conflicts and communities, to allow for effective negotiation, peacebuilding and conflict transformation.
Afresist, therefore, crowdsources this knowledge and documents citizen action on the continent–first and foremost by Africans on the ground–while empowering youth organizers and connecting them with social justice academics, journalists, organizers, researchers and activists everywhere.