Youth Rock the Vote!

Amidst the chaos of those pessimistic noises
Arises a spring of brave new voices
Breathing fresh breath, resurrecting lost hopes voices singing new rhythms and rhymes, of
We are the ones to rock the vote we are the ones we have been waiting for
If not us then who?
If not now, then when? If not here then where?

The above, calling for youth participation in Uganda’s February 18 elections, is an excerpt from the poem by Abubaker Matanda that won the poetry category of IRI’s National Youth Civic Education Creative Design Competition.  In just a few weeks, Ugandans will head to the polls and exercise their right to vote in presidential, parliamentary and local elections.  This election will be especially important for Ugandan youth who comprise roughly 70 percent of the population, giving Uganda one of the youngest populations in the world.

As a member of the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS) and with funding from USAID, one of IRI’s many efforts in Uganda engages youth and encourages them to actively and peacefully participate in the upcoming electoral process.  IRI engages citizens in unique ways to help instill a sense of duty and responsibility to participate in and safeguard the electoral process.

Collaborating with the Center for Constitutional Governance, IRI hosted the Creative Design competition to provide a unique platform for youth to connect with their peers and encourage them to participate in elections through creative expression.  The Center for Constitutional Governance called for entries in the categories of slogans, logos, poems, songs, essays and plays through its network of student clubs at 25 universities across Uganda on the following themes:

• “It is important for youth to vote, and engage responsibly in civic life and other electoral processes;”
• “Voting is more than a privilege, it’s a right.  Youth should exercise their right, protect the right of others, and encourage their peers to do the same;”
• “To choose the best leaders, citizens must be informed about the issues and the candidates.”
• “Election is a method for holding leaders accountable.”

IRI received 46 entries for the competition, including 15 poem submissions, from Ugandan youth.  Abubaker Matanda, who will stand as a candidate for parliament on Election Day, explained to IRI that “This competition has given me the opportunity to expose the current dilemma we are facing with leadership in our country, and to call on our fellow young people to play their part in reversing the current trend of bad leaders through voting wisely.  I have further been inspired to run for the seat of Youth MP Eastern region.”  You can catch a glimpse of his poetry reading at the final competition held at Makerere University on November 19 as shared on social media by his peers and read his poem in full below:

YOUTH ROCK THE VOTE VOICES!

By Abubaker Matanda

On the 29th of May 1996
Under another constitutional order,
A new foundation was laid
Hopes, aspirations and Dreams were set anew
A new dawn for a nation bruised in bloodshed, mutual suspicion and unspeakable poverty
2006: Multi partyism in; term limits; ”swiiii”
The cries for irregularities become louder; ballot staffing, intimidation;
The test of democracy was set in motion…
10 years later,
As the roars ”go forward ”tubonga nawe” fly
And the convoys snake the potholes
As the race for whose magnet attracts more crowds, whose camera photoshops best
And whose tongue convenes children boils up
I hear voices; noises and choices
I hear voices from history saying Voices from history beseeching…
Stand, be counted!
Stand and be counted!
For verily, history is a fair judge
She will ask; where were you?
Where were you when the nation was being plundered?
When the fortune seekers robbed you of your power?
When the wails of the vulnerable were buried in despair?
I hear voices from the east; the land of plenty
Their voices sing a song of agony
‘My sons, never join politics: it is a dirty game, you will end up in the grave just like your fore fathers ”
I hear voices from the north;
The cradle for ground nuts and “simsim”
Their voices play in tones of lost hope
“Of what use is our vote?, in this, our country, the winner is declared before the day of elections, then sworn in after, to feast more on the leftover taxes “
I hear voices from the central: where the king is lord
The voices scream in silence

(For fear of being heard)

”Unless one offers me something on spot, I will not vote. Vote for someone to go and enjoy at no cost? No, not me! “
I hear voices from the west; where milk has a name
And “eshabwe” has a label
I hear voices squeaking,
Voices talking,
Talking of an ideology
Talking of saboteurs, of hyenas
Voices of “we shall crush them”
Voices of “we shall smash them”
Then I hear more voices: stronger voices bragging
Yes, we have
yes; we have fooled them to think
Power belongs to us
Yet in essence, oh the power they wield!
Yes we have
We have cooled their fire with a few coins and slices of soap
Yet in essence oh! The services they lose
Yes, we have, we have threatened them with violence to keep them meek
But, oh! How solid their voices can be!
Only if they knew
Amidst the chaos of those pessimistic noises
Arises a spring of brave new voices
Breathing fresh breath, resurrecting lost hopes voices singing new rhythms and rhymes, of
We are the ones to rock the vote we are the ones we have been waiting for
If not us then who?
If not now, then when? If not here then where?
If we Stand in solidarity we can nail it
In Nigeria, they did the young people did
So if they did why not us?
In Luweero we did it, once
Then why can’t we do it again
They cannot take us for rides always
We know what we want we should hold them accountable
We should ask for and about their manifestos
We should engage our families talk to worship mates, in mosques, in churches, in school, in clubs
We shall rally the crowds from the deepest of suburbs
We shall not only Facebook about it
We shall walk our talk, nurture new hopes in our brothers and sisters
We will trek to the polling stations
And yes! We shall Whatsapp about it
Youth rock the vote!