It’s Time for African Youths to Take the Lead for Fruitful Changes

In this year we need youths’ performance and participatory approach at different levels of decision making and platforms to be highlighted in media. Youths activities must be given priority. All youths based organization i.e. NGOs CBOs, networks etc must be paid attention to by the leading bodies.

Youths needs to make sure they face their challenges and hence prove that they are capable of bringing positive ways of doing things media being their main torch

They need to be economically independent by being creative, inventive and innovative but not for media to display them as hawkers and entertainers only. Media must show decision making bodies the importance of paying attention to the youths like, before any decision meeting is carried out at any level of the society, youths must sit first and come out with their own suggestion / perspective which through media will be publicized.

Youths needs to be socially active so as to be in charge of their lives. To become more gender sensitive by promoting equality and equity to the society since they are capable of putting aside all outdated traditions and practice humanity for peaceful living.

It’s a year for media to assist youths to anticipate and eliminate all ethnic and religious related divergence which may result into big catastrophic situation as witnessed in some parts of Africa and the world like Rwanda and Burundi in 1994

All media should be obliged to promote youths’ ideas and activities also special media for youths’ issues should be established, recognized, controlled and run by the youths themselves with the sense of volunteerism for the benefit of their future and for next generation.

All media must make sure that youths are given chance and help whenever possible for new changes.

Media must attract youths to acquire good and wide knowledge since effort with knowledge is the key to any community’s success. Media needs to display testimonies for successful youth, how they came to such a stage for motivating others who think they can’t reach their goals and those already in the move to accomplish their dreams.

Media must show the youths’ role in the war against HIV/AIDS. Must enable them to fight on their own and not to wait for elders to think for youths and give them readymade decisions. Must insist on the importance of working hard, eating a balanced diet, love care and keen to humanity plus human rights.

Media needs to show / empower youth to love learning more especially in the areas of new technological changes with much emphasis on information and communication technology, its importance as a tool for changes.

Media needs to be youth friendly in order to attract them as a basing step to bring changes, also to redeem those who are drug / alcoholic addicts so as to be with a bright future by attracting youths to give cooperation to media. Youth needs to realize the importance of their talents, and be able to utilize them and retain African culture instead of remaining vagabond and bread chaser. All this can be surely proficient through media’s attention to youth.   

Finally, youths should not wait for media people to give them chance, but get out and do something on their own to foster changes. Media must work tooth and nail to reach rural youths and facilitate them with whole community working condition instead of being selfish and hypocrites which may lead them to corruptive behaviors 

In the year of youths, media needs to start a new way of doing things. Special consideration to rural youths, youths with disabilities and orphan by media, will result into a brighter nation with hard working people. People who will be living for the benefit of the whole community as well as the next generation.

The power of media, is from the power of information lets give youths a chance in media, let us give them the right information in the right time. Tanzanian youth, don’t wait, get out and hunt for suitable information.

By

Kamala James Lutatinisibwa

P.o.Box 11618

Dar es salaam Tanzania

jlkamala@yahoo.com

+255 754 771 601