By Rebecca Ampah
Veteran journalist Kwesi Pratt Jnr. has rejected what he described as the promotion of a “Gen Z revolution” as a framework for understanding political and economic struggles in Africa, saying the exploitation cuts across generations.
Speaking at the Pan-African Progressive Front’s International Youth Forum, He questioned the idea that young people necessarily have interests that are fundamentally different from those of older people.
“The struggle is not about age. The struggle is about ending exploitation and oppression.”
Pratt argued that unemployed or economically disadvantaged young people share important interests with older workers, pensioners and other groups facing hardship.
He illustrated his point by contrasting a young person without access to education or employment with an older person who may lack a pension or access to healthcare.
“Exploited youth has a lot in common with exploited workers.”
For Pratt, dividing political struggles along generational lines risks obscuring the economic conditions that affect people across age groups.
He therefore called on African youth to organise around common struggles rather than simply around their generation.
“We fight together and win together to build that new world.”
His remarks came as he addressed young participants on the broader question of what role African youth should play in the continent’s political and economic transformation.
