Photo: Lusaka Times |
But is this still the case in a world in which every aspect of our lives has been commoditized and given a monetary value? In this world of neoliberal capitalism, money is a virtue.
During the Women Deliver 2019 plenary session among world
leaders like Canada's Justin Trudeau, 18-year old Natasha Mwansa challenged
world leaders that they cannot make decisions for the youth. The young Zambian
activist changed leaders to include the young in power because the decisions
these leaders make affect the youth.
However, this manner of running societies seems not to be the
case now. In Africa, leaders stay too long in power so much so that they become
too old to work and even walk. African leaders become so much out of touch with
the future of their countries that they live as if they are immortal. They embezzle public funds, divide
communities and leave behind bitterness that the future generations have to
deal with.
In the west, and the USA especially, the younger generation
is asking the older generation to take climate change seriously and to curb gun
violence. No, the older generation is thinking of bigger money to even care
about the future of their children and grandchildren. "What climate
change? What gun violence?" they ask!
In Europe, Greta Thunberg of Sweden is making waves in the
world as the voice concerned about the future of our planet. In America, it is
the students not adult, who are talking about gun violence. "We're all
working together, which is something we haven't seen from the adults in a very
long time," said Cate Whitman, a high school student in New York.
Money is the language they understand! What a world!
_____________________________________
Kuir ё Garang is the editor of THE PHILOSOPHICAL REFUGEE. You
can follow him on Twitter @kuirthiy