Generation of “Congratulation Messages” (Part One)

By Zechariah Makuach Maror

If we youth stop for a moment to think honestly, and finally ask the following questions. Do our leaders/elders have enough time to devote to guiding the young generation in the right direction? Am I wrong if I say that they themselves would have been victims of today’s competitive era if we would have been guided well? If they don’t have time for guiding even themselves, how can we expect them to use the strength of today’s youth for tomorrow's nation-building? Do young people have a hand in this geriatric hegemony in our society? Ooh! Here we go no direction, no definition and no way. Direction is where your feet are heading you to, the definition is a fortune of food you find on your dining table in an unexpected time of dinner, the way is what you would be told to create otherwise!.

The young people of my country are misinformed and deluded that being humble and decent citizens means you need to praise and congratulate the government appointee even if his appointment doesn't deserve or worth no value of appointment. Surely to felicitate officials isn't bad enough but it boosted the moral of the appointed one to accomplish what is expected of him. I’m not egoistical as such to hate congratulating someone but the problem with it is that our youths always viewed compliment as a means of survival and in most cases done on the basis of interest and relationship. 

Indeed, some few independent-minded youths who have independent ideas or resigned from such ordination are viewed as associates of envy and categorized under the indiscipline sector if they made different impressions about reality. They are avenged with the vengeance of economic and social sanctions from the community they long; this sanction is more effective as opportunities are rare for the young skilled people to get sustenance in South Sudan. Sometimes independent minds youth are put under pressure: detention, family discrimination, expensive wrongly lawsuit, and curse are the tools or disciplinary measures that could bring back such dudes to write a suicidal apology thus be ones again a good person that is welcomed in the society. With these, the single-minded youth could be left with no choice than excessive blind allegiance and loyalty in order to join foodstuff Flora hence secure source of income. This show that in our communities, making a point of attention is ones’ future assassination, you are ever isolated from the watch of community as well as tribe, you would be treated as treason living ghost, your family are the curse, their only thinking is that, "why is thunderstorms’ so bias to pity such curse without hitting them for societal rid".

Nowadays, social media specifically Facebook has becomes a concern that had build the links of relationships between youths and old age officials, these days especially in Juba, young men does exist politically because they put up a post last weeks or months on Facebook that would get him sued for libel by disinterested one or acclaimed if other coin appeared as interested in the eyes of other influential one. It could get him sued too if his true identity was known while he doesn't have backed up, it is this taboo that has hegemonized condemnation to the mouth of the government and riches while young ones make firm stance in congratulations mail as their ethic and societal dividend. Like it or not, social media now occupies its own realm in our society—a realm where facts or truth often bear little relevance in the discussion hence hired propaganda specialists are employed by interest groups to face-coat the truth with smears and fibs. 

This dependency has made the condition of young people in our nation remain static, due to socio-economic factors; Neglect, violence, exploitation, armed conflicts, demographic growth, and the scourge of diseases and epidemics such as HIV/AIDS and Malaria remain the order of the day. The account of this tragedy is not that youths dare to live as such but it is a result of socio-political exploitation of the above narrated scenarios.

In general, youth as a category is a bag full of energy that needs to be channeled and most importantly; there is a time for this work. Once that time has gone, once that energy has got its own direction, whether wrong or right, it becomes even more difficult to handle, and that time is likely exceeding itself. I often hear the usual dialogues that I ever hate in my life which they said, “Today’s youths are useless”. Now tell me, “Is youth really useless or have they actually been used less?” Our elders have to think. It has been aptly said that once uttered, you cannot take your words back. So think twice before passing your Judgment. Sometimes they said, "You are too young, wait for your time" a none coming time which is just a mere ploy and tactic of silencing the majority group of the society. I do hear women complaining that they are a marginalized group in South Sudan, for me they are better, because they are only marginalized but for youth, they are both marginalized and exploited.

The fact is, we are presented with an ever-growing societal void, whereby politicians remain nonchalant to the detached youth and young people which were supposed to have been increasingly inspired by the independent attitude and ideas are nurtured to become none liberal-minded youth. Self-reliance is viewed as a wonderful idea when exercised properly, it will result in liberalism that can incredible social advancements such as gender equality, secular governments, free markets and civil rights but when misused it would result to South Sudan of our time where youths are made to forget youth-hood’s values and that is what chapter four of the R-ARCSS mean by what its coat-named institutional reform through youth empowerment. 

However, when misinterpreted, many young people embark upon a new political voyage in the name of respect for patriarchal uncle thus culminating into tribal chauvinism of greed and hatred followed by senseless conflicts. World entitlement of nowadays is that, young people feel as though success in all aspects of life is a basic right and that it is the government’s duty to facilitate this right with such things as free education, free health, and availability of opportunities and easily accessible housing ladder and an improvement of standard of living even though there is increase in unskilled and inexperienced youths. Little do our people realize that, henceforward minimal effort comes minimal reward. 

I believe that it is our absolute duty as young people to make ourselves informed, to take an active interest in the current political situation and make independent decisions based upon what matters to us. The right to lead is so important because it allows us to live under the self-governing assurance that we will be listened to. However, if you choose social media congratulatory messages because of food then you have to be told that your parents and relatives have politicized your mind, without really knowing what you’re in the age that is capable of picking something bigger than food you earned from popping up wealthiest outdated politician who wrongly owned half of your right because of your submissive attitude. This is the reason why our voices are not being heard and your allegiance isn’t worth anything more than if you abstained your loyalty. Youths shouldn’t rancid by being married off to the age of Ignorance: Spoiled and uninformed, and expect to be spoon-fed in the dining table by traditional oligarchs.

The writer is an activist and could be reach via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

• Generation of “Congratulation Messages” (Part Two)