In this video, Professor Honwana explains how young Africans are caught in a state of ‘waithood’. A term she defines as a limbo between youth and adulthood caused by failed neo-liberal economic policies, poor governance and political instability.
She also touches on the phenomenon’s global dimensions and its transformative qualities, citing examples from various societies including the Occupy movement in the United States, protests in Mozambique, the revolution in Tunisia and the Y’en A Marre (Enough is Enough) movement in Senegal.
Born in Mozambique, prior to joining the OU as Visiting Professor of Anthropology and International Development, Alcinda Honwana was a United Nations Programme Officer and in the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict in New York.
Author: Heidi McCafferty
Language: English
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