To the youth, one of the weaknesses of leaderless protests or movements is the lack of an articulate, charismatic arrowhead. If and when there is no established concert around articulating our message(s), the goal(s) is/are left undefined. Is your goal for EndSARS anger and nothing but anger or police reform? If you want reform, what kind of reform do you want?…Your demands kept growing and there was no position that kept these firm, beyond the hashtag.
Mass protests have become a thing, erupting almost spontaneously around the globe. These protests are leaderless by intent. As amorphous as they seem, leaderless protests are not without their successes. They have led to the mass resignation of political office holders in Lebanon, and a referendum in Chile. Without exception, the loss of dignity, unmet expectation of upward mobility, prevalent corruption and failure of ruling elites and political institutions, are the recurring themes of these protests. As seen in Hong Kong, in the United States and lately in Nigeria, protesters are often young, urban, tech savvy, angry and rabid in their demand for change.
The #EndSARS protest thrust a generation with an inbred trust deficit in our faces. They are suspicious, and reliably pedantic, given their circumstances, socialisations and experiences. I was not surprised that their protest was leaderless, because their psychographic speaks formlessness. Even if they do not know it, Lao Tzu, the ancient Chinese philosopher and founder of Taoism, had their thought processes in mind when he said; “A leader is best when people barely know he exists….when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: ‘We did it ourselves’.” I hope we recognise what has happened for what it is; a national awakening. Those asking for the formation of a youth party are missing the signals. #EndSARS is not an organised opposition with a distinct ideology, hoping to wrest power from a fossilised, hegemonic elite. Their protest was about being heard, it was a call for a systemic change towards responsive, inclusive, responsible and accountable leadership.
Like others around the globe, #EndSARS was catalysed by social media. They made use of the intrepid tools of their age. Mobile telephony and the 24-hour news cycle on cable networks has become the nemesis of self-conceited leaders all around the world, especially those of the African variety. Like never before, people can connect locally and globally, with anyone and anywhere. Information is democratised and a touch screen away! The ability to connect, to draw comparisons and be inspired by events from elsewhere is unmatched in our history. From the Black Lives Matter protest to #EndSARS, the ongoing protests in Belarus, and the plebiscite triumph in Chile; the ability to coordinate people and coral them on the streets, is without precedent. It will not go away, it will erupt often, unless the right actions are taken.
Your protest went the way it did because there was no leadership and no defined time to retreat. The main component of a peaceful and effective protest is some kind of centralised leadership. I understand your reliance on Twitter, Telegram, WhatsApp and Airdrop because you do not need a leader to propagate strategy when you have technology. True, but as good as horizontal strategies are, they have their pitfalls like top-down strategies.
Now that we have experienced the tidal wave of the digital flash mob on Nigerian shores, it is better for us to ponder on what the risks and implications are, for governments, businesses, and organisations. This is because the energy that birthed them does not wane, even when they are crushed by the military. Instead, they go latent for a while, gain strength and then surge again. A lot of good can come from this experience by addressing the legitimate grievances of the youths and turning their agitations into political engagement. The energy we saw before the shooting and looting can be channeled into dialogue and political participation in electoral politics, if political parties and elites can find ways to meaningfully engage in dialogue and show commitment to creating real change.
Events of the past week has shown that a lot is at stake for the young and the old. When Nigeria had money, so much was diverted into private pockets. We don’t have that much money again and nothing on ground to engage young people. The time calls for creativity. We need genuine reform of public institutions, so we can beat the path to shared prosperity. Only shared prosperity can rein in the growing angry impulses. They need us and we need them.
How far can a leaderless protest go? The answer is simple. Neither the protesters nor those of us who study society expect from the youth what we, their parents, could not deliver. It is not their job to reform the police, create employment, provide infrastructure or solve the problems that took them to the streets… Their job is done. Let the government get to work.
To the youth, one of the weaknesses of leaderless protests or movements is the lack of an articulate, charismatic arrowhead. If and when there is no established concert around articulating our message(s), the goal(s) is/are left undefined. Is your goal for EndSARS anger and nothing but anger or police reform? If you want reform, what kind of reform do you want? Do you want to EndSARS and substitute this with another more pernicious unit? What you did had no consistency to it. Your demands kept growing and there was no position that kept these firm, beyond the hashtag. Your protest went the way it did because there was no leadership and no defined time to retreat. The main component of a peaceful and effective protest is some kind of centralised leadership. I understand your reliance on Twitter, Telegram, WhatsApp and Airdrop because you do not need a leader to propagate strategy when you have technology. True, but as good as horizontal strategies are, they have their pitfalls like top-down strategies. I know you think having a leader might makes it easier for governments to corrupt them, arrest or kill them. However, it is that which you feared, that made your protest unsustainable in the long run. You have no structures to keep things going. I hope you have learnt from this. I wish to let you know that protests are not unsustainable for long, by their very nature. Soon, lethargy sets in. That is why you need leaders to articulate your demands, negotiate, and beat the Iron of your anger into shape, while it is still red hot.
How far can a leaderless protest go? The answer is simple. Neither the protesters nor those of us who study society expect from the youth what we, their parents, could not deliver. It is not their job to reform the police, create employment, provide infrastructure or solve the problems that took them to the streets. They have made their voices heard and planted in our minds their ability to disrupt the status quo and put their grievances on the political agenda. Their job is done. Let the government get to work. May the soul of those killed find peace and rest. May those wounded be healed.
Bámidélé Adémólá-Olátéjú a farmer, youth advocate and political analyst writes this weekly column, “Bamidele Upfront” for PREMIUM TIMES. Follow me on Twitter @olufunmilayo
Picture credit: AP Photo/Sunday Alamba.
