🌍🔍 Eh, How One Stat Kine Change Up Da Whole Africa Story!
⬇️ Pidgin | ⬇️ ⬇️ English
Check dis out! One big kahuna reporter 🕵️♂️ from da NY Times, who stay all kama’aina with Africa, usually shake head at dem stories predicting all kine things ’bout da continent. But one small-kine number wen catch his eye 👀, and brah, it was like da kine signal for some massive changes coming.
So we go back to dis hale in Nairobi, Kenya, where da New York Times gang been setting up camp since da kine early 2000s, yeah? When da reporter’s ohana moved in, like three years ago, had some nani features: banana 🍌, guava, avocado trees 🥑; one cozy, thatched hut made from mud in da yard, made by one previous Times reporter; and a small-kine library with choke books 📚 ’bout Africa, been collecting dust for plenny years.
Da reporter wen dive deep into those books. Get all kine old school references, like “Africa South of the Sahara: 1996,” you know, before da days of Wikipedia. Biographies of da kine famous peeps was side by side with those who da world wen forget. And some books, ho, they so obscure, like “Church and State in Ethiopia, 1270-1527,” looked like nobody wen even crack ’em open before.
But da kine book you see all da time is da ones trying fo’ describe Africa like they know everything. They either say, “Ho, Africa stay in big trouble,” or they stay overly positive, like, “Africa, she going rise!” ✊ These themes, they like two rams locking horns 🐏🐏, showing us how nuts it is to try and talk lids about Africa, one place that’s always surprising dem outsiders who think they know.
So, kinda funny, yeah, da next big scoop for da reporter could have been just more of the same pilikia.
It all started with one fact that wen hit ’em in 2022: da median age in Africa was 19 – way younger than any other place. Da whole world stay averaging 30; places like Europe and North America at 41; and then you get Japan, way up there at 48.
Da reporter had one spicy statistic 🌶️. But how was he going fo’ cook ’em into one story?
First ting that came to mind was to talk story about 19-year-olds all over Africa, check out their daily life, their fears, and dreams, and show everybody da forces that stay reshaping da land. But the hitch was, at 19, we all still trying to figure out what we want from life, yeah? Young bruddahs and sistas in Africa, they no different.
So he dug more. Checked out da big-time data from da United Nations Population Division, spreadsheets that go back to 1950. And he found two things that didn’t quite jive at first.
Turns out, even though Africa’s median age is da lowest, it’s still climbing – not too long ago, in 1989, was only 16.
But, Africa’s population stay growing slow compared to other areas, ’cause they get da highest birth rates 🍼. So while Europe and East Asia see their numbers getting smaller, Africa’s population only getting more big and big – so much that by 2050, they saying one-quarter of all da people in da world goin’ be from Africa, and one-third of all da young bloods between 15 to 24 years old too.
All dis, it’s shaping up to be one crazy wave 🌊 of change that’s gonna reshape not just Africa, but da whole globe.
Da reporter wen finally get his story, yeah?
Others wen catch this wave already, like one brah named Edward Paice at the Africa Research Institute in London. In 2021, he wen come out with “Youthquake,” one book all about how da young crowd in Africa is growing. Da reporter wen talk to him and oddahs who was stoked but also kinda worried about dis big shift.
When da Times Africa team had their meeting in Nairobi, all da reporters wen share their mana’o about da changes and how they could spin ’em into some solid stories.
Still, had challenges. Da reporter was trying fo’ catch hints of dis big demographic hurricane 🌀, and us journalists, we don’t really like playing fortune teller 🔮. We more chill using history fo’ explain what stay happening now. We no like guess what’s gonna happen too much.
And demography, da science behind those guesses, sometimes people misuse ’em or don’t get ’em. For plenty years
, plenty smart guys wen predict doom for Africa if da numbers don’t match their models. Like they said that too much young bloods without enough work or food, ho, dat gonna lead to all kine anarchy.
But da experts, they pretty solid ’bout da 2050 population numbers, yeah. Would be lolo not to listen to ’em. As da reporter wen holo holo around Africa, he wen see signs of da young peeps explosion everywhere.
After one coup in Burkina Faso last year, he wen meet one kanaka in his late 20s who wen work all kine jobs across West Africa – in gold mines, farms, even fishing boats. He was like da face of one generation that’s grinding to find good work.
In Khartoum, da capital of Sudan, da reporter wen choke on tear gas as young activists wen fight da police during protests – showing da new kine protest era led by da young locals fed up with their old, often hard-headed, leaders.
And in Kenya, he wen meet young guns full of drive and cleverness, running their own businesses, representing one side of young Africa that hardly makes da news: they stay pumped with ambition, innovation, and one sense that anything can.
His co-workers wen find their own stories too. Elian Peltier, da Times’s West Africa reporter, wen cruise in one taxi with one young rapper in Ivory Coast. Dionne Searcey, who wen write one book on West African wahines, found one smart university student in Senegal. Vivian Yee, staying in Egypt, wen talk to one student outside one school in Cairo.
Hannah Reyes Morales, one freelance photographer, wen travel through five countries, looking for young peeps in college, at fashion shows, religious ceremonies, and even at one horse race. Da scenes she wen capture – all da joy, hustle, and challenges – they show dis electric moment of change.
Da end result was “Old World, Young Africa,” which wen hit the web last month and made print in one 40-page special. In da coming weeks, oddah Times reporters goin’ drop more stories about da crazy effects of Africa’s young generation.
What this all gonna lead to – boom, doom, or something smack in da middle – likely goin’ be different depending on da place.
Like da little library show, trying to squeeze all of Africa into one book or story, that’s one tough, maybe even impossible job. Is demography destiny? Depends who you talk to.
But one thing for sure, one big change is rolling out on da continent – and these reporters, they stay on it, chasing the biggest changes, one by one. 🌍📚📈👀✨
NOW IN ENGLISH
🌍🔍 Here’s How a Single Statistic Rewrites the Entire African Narrative!
Take note! A seasoned New York Times correspondent, well-acquainted with Africa, often sighs at the stereotypical narratives forecasted for the continent. But, there was one statistic that caught his attention 👀, signaling a seismic shift on the horizon.
Let’s rewind to the NYT’s Nairobi bureau, established in the early 2000s. The correspondent’s home, occupied three years ago, boasts lovely features: banana 🍌, guava, avocado trees 🥑; a quaint, mud-thatched hut in the garden, a relic from a predecessor; and a dusty library brimming with books 📚 on Africa, neglected for ages.
He plunged into these tomes. They ranged from outdated editions like “Africa South of the Sahara: 1996” to biographies of the well-known and the overlooked, with some so arcane, such as “Church and State in Ethiopia, 1270-1527,” they seemed untouched.
The most common volumes attempted to encapsulate Africa with a know-it-all flair, oscillating between doom and gloom or boundless optimism, a clash that highlights the absurdity of trying to pigeonhole Africa, a continent full of surprises.
Thus, the next big story for the correspondent seemed poised to echo these worn narratives.
The revelation in 2022 was the median age in Africa: 19, strikingly younger than the global median of 30, not to mention Europe and North America’s 41, or Japan’s 48.
Armed with a provocative statistic 🌶️, the question was: How to weave it into a compelling narrative?
He considered profiling 19-year-olds across Africa, exploring their lives, aspirations, and the dynamics reshaping their homeland. But at 19, the narrative is complicated by the universal youth experience of self-discovery.
Diving deeper, he consulted extensive data from the United Nations Population Division, charting back to 1950. He discovered two seemingly paradoxical trends.
Although Africa’s median age is the world’s lowest, it’s on an upward trend – from 16 in 1989.
Yet, despite high birth rates 🍼, Africa’s population growth is not as rapid as one might expect. Europe and East Asia are experiencing demographic decline, while projections show that by 2050, a quarter of the global population will be African, with one-third of all youths aged 15 to 24 hailing from the continent.
This sets the stage for a monumental wave 🌊 of transformation that will not only redefine Africa but also the global landscape.
The reporter’s story began to take shape.
Colleagues like Edward Paice at the Africa Research Institute in London had already tuned in. His 2021 book “Youthquake” delved into the burgeoning youth population in Africa. Engaging with Paice and others, the reporter gathered insights on the potential and perils of this demographic surge.
In Nairobi, the Times’s Africa team convened, brainstorming on the multifaceted changes for future reports.
However, challenges loomed. The correspondent sought to forecast this demographic storm 🌀, and journalists typically avoid the clairvoyant role 🔮, preferring historical context to speculative futures.
Demography, often misunderstood or misused, has been a basis for dire forecasts for Africa, suggesting an overabundance of youth without adequate resources could lead to chaos.
Yet, experts stand firm on the 2050 projections. Ignoring them would be folly. Traveling across Africa, the correspondent witnessed the youth boom firsthand.
Following a coup in Burkina Faso, he encountered a man in his late 20s who had worked various jobs across West Africa – from gold mines to fishing boats, embodying a generation striving for employment.
In Khartoum, Sudan’s capital, he was engulfed in tear gas alongside young activists clashing with police, epitomizing a new era of protests driven by youth dissatisfied with entrenched leadership.
In Kenya, he met enterprising youths, manifesting a seldom-reported side of Africa: ambitious, innovative, and with a mindset that anything is possible.
His colleagues uncovered parallel stories. Elian Peltier rode with a young rapper in Ivory Coast; Dionne Searcey chronicled a Senegalese university student’s perspective; Vivian Yee conversed with a student in Cairo.
Photographer Hannah Reyes Morales journeyed through five countries, capturing young people in academia, fashion, faith, and leisure. Her photographs illuminated the vibrant moment of transition.
Their collective work culminated in “Old World, Young Africa,” which launched online last month and was later printed in a 40-page special. More stories are slated to follow, unraveling the extensive impact of Africa’s youth.
What this evolution entails – prosperity, turbulence, or a mix – will likely vary by region.
As the little library
showcased, summarizing Africa in a single narrative is a daunting, perhaps impossible, task. Is demography destiny? Opinions differ.
But one thing is certain, a major transformation is unfolding across the continent – and these reporters are on its trail, capturing the most profound changes one by one. 🌍📚📈👀✨”
