A lost generation? Youth identity and State decay in West Africa

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Book chapter

Title:	A lost generation? Youth identity and State decay in West Africa
Author:	Cruise O'Brien, Donal B.
Book title:	Postcolonial Identities in Africa
Year:	1996
Pages:	55-74
Language:	English
Geographic terms:	Mali Senegal
Subject:	youth
Abstract:	It has been convincingly argued that the marginalized youth of postcolonial Africa in general have an unpromising political role. On the one hand, they are a natural opposition, having little to lose. On the other hand, however, they are poorly equipped to make their opposition effective: with their limited resources, they are easily manipulated by their elders. The particular situation of the youth of the 1980s in Africa has led more than one observer to use the phrase 'a lost generation'. The common denominator for the situation of youth in many African countries is that young people have finished schooling, are without employment in the formal sector, and are not in a position to set up an independent household. The 'lost generation' label may mark a rupture with the relatively comfortable socialization procedures of the period from 1960 to the late 1970s - boom years, at least as seen in retrospect. The situation of the youth of Dakar, Senegal, and Bamako, Mali, illustrates the apparent perils in the medium to long-term trends. Bibliogr., notes, ref.