Topologies of Youth: Change and Intrigues in the Republic of South Sudan
6 min readBy Junior William Deng, Juba, South Sudan
August 10, 2016 (SSB) — South Sudan is a young country with larger percentage of young people. Age group within the bracket of 18-35 years makes fifty one percent (51%) of the national population while age group between 35-45 years constitutes twenty percent (20%) of the remaining national population. This means that about Seventy one percent (71%) of South Sudanese population is extremely young.
The remaining twenty nine (29%) is represented by relatively old and old people (45-above). This twenty nine percent (29%) generates the ruling elite and rich haves in the country. The economy and political setting including war are jealously administered by this group. They have busied themselves protecting their seats and financial sources through corruption and guns.
Their inability to contribute positively towards economic development; political stability, social order and social mobilization for robust national growth has aggregately failed the country. In fact those who are above 65 years old have failed to relinquish power to those who are immediate to them in the age bracket of 45-64 years. Those below 65 years in the above age bracket are drowned into the political mess and eating spree to form a generational deadly “eating and killing class.”
So to talk about change of guard or political change within the class or from other classes is always rendered nonsensical or violently administered to conscript the change agents or totally disgrace spirit of change among those in the lower tiers. It is always difficult to cause change in such a society where freedoms don’t exist, political process is faulted and social classes are headed tribally.
In order to prevent our country to escalate and drive into fascist state, change must be inevitable. Though youth; those in the age bracket of 18-45 years are victims and beneficiaries of this “violent administration” of the “eating and killing class,” the glimpse of hope for a peaceful; democratic, prosperous and viable state can be largely and practically ignited. How it can be ignited could be gauged through Marxist methodology posited in the writings of comrade Frederick Eagles. This gentleman graded youths into classes as follow:
- Bourgeoisie
This class is represented by the children of haves and affluent. Their parents or guardians are the occupants of the eating and killing class who lead the country through violent administration. The youth in this class don’t like change, they purport to continue leading through inheritances. They use their wealth to wield power across social gradations. They fear losing wealth, fame and power, so it is always hard to win against them.
However, in South Sudan, change is possible. The children of this class are ignorant, arrogant, extravagant and wealth sick. These youth are not in the clone of their counterparts in the West. Those in the West are discipline in terms of social connections, financial management and political consciousness. But in South Sudan this class is highly indiscipline and as described above, change could be achieved through individual targeting, isolation and social skirmishes.
They might be in the same class but use of power varies intensively from one member of the class to the other. So the deficiency in use of absolute power among the members of the same class and inequality to dispense it could create conflict. This conflict would be used to create change by those who are disadvantaged in the class. Using this method to our interest would lead to major change in the bourgeoisie class and those who destine to protect status quo might be few at the top, so anything to scatter their support maybe employed in order to achieve general change.
- Petty Bourgeoisie
These are young entrepreneurs and beneficiaries of the eating and killing class. This class is generated from bourgeoisie class and independent laborers who accumulated their wealth and power through working for the kleptocrates. They have facilitated the eating and killing in the country. Majority of them badly fear losing their wealth; so they can do anything in their petty power to disallow change movements in the country.
This group has similarities with bourgeoisie class though they don’t have much power. The source of their wealth is not permanent; it depends so much on the absolute power and wealth of the kleptocratic class. As long as the wealth of the bourgeoisie starts to rumble; their wealth will very fast rumble twice than that of their upper class. This would cause fear and panic in the class.
To bring Change closer to this group is more attractive than taking change to the bourgeoisie class. A leading team of change movement would love to sell this idea to them and those with third sense among the petty bourgeoisie class would realize the vitality to join the change groups. This is because they want to be the leaders of change, they also want to protect and serve the remaining wealth and to create connections with those leading the change and of course, the desire to lead in new regime would make them change swiftly.
This would send signal to those that are stubborn to change in the kleptocratic class to create or revive association with petty class and establish contacts with change leaders leading to an involuntary influx to change organizations in the country.
- Peasants
The poor majority – those who work for bourgeoisie and petty bourgeoisie particularly the soldiers: those in the SPLM-IG and SPLM -IO, Aqwelek, Cobra Faction and Arrow Boys, etc. These people are vulnerable and could be convinced to lay down guns and support youth movement for change in the country. In event where the eating and killing class refuses to step aside, they could use their armaments and topple the regime. Majority of them are dying defending tribesmen, so it would be a redeeming call to once live in hope for political and social change in the country.
There are those in the villages, those who have only seen South Sudan flag, who hoist it laughing gaily in hope for household changes, those that their children, children of their children are in acute chronic poverty (ACP) are in state of hopelessness and desperation. They don’t have hope to live in free and noble society; their hopes are in the Christ, maybe when he returns!
Their hopes could be arouse and led to cause change in the country. In fact they need a savior and it is the change that is their savior.
- Students
This is the last class in an attempt to make youth useful for change. They (students) might be collected from all classes but those students at the lower tiers would respond very fast because their parents and guardians are the soldiers & village men. Their propensity to change is probably one hundred percent (100%). So as long as they are well courted and competent youth leaders are at the top and with proper articulation of the cause, they could really make change happen in various ways.
Generally change could be revolutionary (radical) or evolutionary (transformative). The method to which change could be exercised largely depends on the phenomena, situation, environment, leading change organization and the people. Many fascist States like ours have undergone leadership change through different methods of revolution.
We naturally need regime change more badly than the people of Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Burma, etc. The youth organizations made those changes possible and I believe we could do it better than them. It is never too late to rise above Intrigues against change such as: tribalism; poverty, illiteracy and diseases. There are never benefits against change, change is always good and in South Sudan change is inevitable.
You can reach the author via his email: dengthiy2004@gmail.com
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