Reject exploitation, M’membe urges African youth
By Tony Nkhoma
SOCIALIST Party (SP) president Dr Fred M’membe has urged young people across Africa to rise above deceit, exploitation and manipulation, and to become active agents of revolutionary change on the continent.
Speaking in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso yesterday, where he is attending the International Thomas Sankara Crossroads African Meeting, Dr M’membe said young Africans must refuse to be “cheated, humiliated, and manipulated with fake promises” and instead think and act independently.
“After being lied to and cheated so many times, it is time for you to start seeing things for yourselves, listening for yourselves, thinking for yourselves, and coming to your own conclusions,” he said.
Dr M’membe emphasised that Africa’s youth, who make up the majority of the continent’s population, continue to face deep injustices and economic hardships under exploitative systems.
“Bring about the real and revolutionary change you need to see a reversal of fortunes in your lives. Tell them you will not allow yourselves to be lied to, cheated, exploited, humiliated, or manipulated with fake promises,” he said.
Dr M’membe said the continent was trapped in an “unbridled exploitative neoliberal capitalist order” that has subjected Africans to unjust, unfair, and inhumane conditions.
“All over our continent, it is you, young Africans, who are engaging in the struggle to eliminate injustice, inequity, unfairness, and inhumanity. Your mission now is to bring about real, revolutionary change,” Dr M’membe said.
He called on the youth to remain on the frontlines of the struggle to build a just and prosperous Africa, saying meaningful transformation would only come through their sustained action.
“The future is not built in the future, it is built on the threshold of the decisions and actions taken today,” Dr M’membe said.
He challenged the common notion that young people are “leaders of tomorrow,” saying their leadership must be demonstrated now.
“They will tell you that you are future leaders. Tell them you are not future leaders. Thomas Sankara and Ibrahim Traoré have already shown that you are leaders of today stepping into the future,” he said.
Dr M’membe praised the revolutionary movements taking place in Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali, saying they reflect a growing continental desire for authentic transformation and self-determination.
He urged young Africans to draw inspiration from revolutionary figures such as Thomas Sankara, Ibrahim Traoré, and Kwame Nkrumah, who championed justice, independence, and equality.
