By Trevor Lwere
The Pan African Youth Conference, jointly organized by the Pan African Students Union (PASU) at Northwestern University and the African Students Association (ASA) of Notre Dame, hosted its second conference in March on the theme “Which Way Africa?” Over 145 young African participants from over 30 countries on four continents convened virtually to discuss issues relating to Africa’s past and future. Dr. Lwazi Lushaba, a political science lecturer from the University of Cape Town delivered the keynote address.
The 2022 deliberations built on the 2021 PAYC discussions that analyzed lessons from Africa’s past and how they inform both the present and the future, PAYC 2022 discussions critically analyzed Africa’s often futile development efforts by interrogating the assumptions underlying modernization as the predominant concept of continental development since independence.
Like its inaugural conference, PAYC 2022 demonstrated the power of Pan-African cooperation. Our team came from seven countries with team members living and/or studying on three continents and specializing in fields as diverse as economics, anthropology, cultural studies, political science, and mechanical engineering. The conference also demonstrated the power of intergenerational collaboration. While the organizing team consisted of only students, we invited scholars to serve as committee chairs to curate and deliver the conference. As the younger generation, the PAYC team brought a critical attitude to bear on the experience and insight of the committee chairs. In addition, PAYC 2022 demonstrated the ways in which a changing world influences the nature of this protracted struggle. Because of our geographically and nationally diverse team, the planning process was done remotely. Further, the conference was entirely virtual, which made it possible for people from all over the world to take part.
Although the internet allowed us to plan and execute a successful conference in an entirely virtual world, it is not lost on us that the internet is not available to everyone, which limits attendance. Moreover, the fact that PAYC was conducted in English posed a significant challenge as we attempted to translate our experience and concepts into English to make sense of our reality. Thus, the foundations of knowledge on which we draw for our discussions are not necessarily rooted in indigenous tradition but from the influences of the places where we have been schooled. This has consequences for interpreting our reality and determining future possibilities. Our positionality colors our outlook as students of African descent living and studying in the diaspora. How do we successfully mobilize our people while speaking a language and drawing on concepts that may not be readily accessible to everybody? Grappling with these questions constitutes part of the work we have ahead of us: to democratize and embed the process of conscientization for each person and for all people. PAYC seeks to mobilize a critical mass of young Africans with a clear understanding of Africa’s challenges, an appreciation for Pan-African cooperation, and an unwavering commitment to Africa’s struggle for freedom and development.
The 2022 conference received financial support from the Program of African Studies, the Buffet Institute for Global Affairs, and the Middle East and North African Program at Northwestern University as well as the Kellogg Institute for International Affairs, the Glynn Family Honors Program, and the African Studies Association at the University of Notre Dame.
Trevor Lwere is an undergraduate student at the University of Notre Dame.