Across the sweeping savannahs, bustling cities and remote villages of Africa, a new spirit is rising. An unstoppable wave of activism that is tearing down the walls of fear, silence and division. From the shores of Lake Victoria to the streets of Johannesburg. From the mountains of Atlas to the ocean at Mombasa. A new generation of Africans is standing up, speaking out and organising across borders to demand justice, dignity and accountable governance.
What we are witnessing is not just a regional trend. It is a continental awakening. An emerging pan-African activism that is rooted in the shared pain of our history, the collective strength of our people and the boundless hope for a better future. This movement is growing stronger by the day, and it is sending chills down the spines of dictators and autocrats who for decades have thrived on the division of Africans and impunity.
One of the most powerful aspects of this new wave of activism is its cross-border character. Unlike the past, when activism was largely confined within national boundaries, today’s struggles for justice and freedom are interconnected across Africa. Activists are no longer organising in silos. They are building transnational solidarity that defies colonial era borders, which were drawn without regard for the social, cultural and familial ties that bound African communities together.
These arbitrary boundaries were never designed for our benefit. They split villages and tribes, separated kin and weakened our unity. Worse still, they were later co-opted by post-Independence leaders who have often used “sovereignty” as a shield against accountability. Turning their countries into fortresses behind which to repress their own people. But this new generation of activists is boldly reclaiming that unity.
Lawyers, journalists, youth organisers, digital activists and community leaders, among others, are increasingly collaborating across borders. Learning from each other’s tactics, supporting each other in moments of repression and building resilient networks of resistance. These formations are pushing back against the autocratic playbook of harassment, censorship, killings and disappearances. They are demanding open governance, participatory leadership and the rule of law.
The dictators who once ruled with impunity are starting to feel the heat. This pan-African resistance is a nightmare for them. Not only because it exposes their brutality but because it refuses to respect the boundaries that have long allowed them to operate with isolation and impunity.
At the heart of this awakening are the Gen Z. This bold, creative and defiant generation is reshaping Africa’s political landscape. They are not waiting for permission. They are not held back by old tribal loyalties or nationalistic divisions. They are deeply digital, globally connected and fearlessly African.
These young activists are demanding justice not just for themselves but for entire communities. They are organising climate strikes in Nairobi, digital protests in South Africa and street demonstrations in Tunisia. They are challenging elders not out of disrespect but out of an urgent desire to fix what has long been broken.
Gen Z see no contradiction in fighting for free expression in Sudan while campaigning for women’s rights in Botswana. They understand that injustice anywhere on this continent is a threat to justice everywhere, and they are right.
What we are witnessing today is a second liberation movement. Just as our forebears fought to free us from colonialism in the 20th century, today’s generation is fighting to free us from bad governance, state violence and neocolonial exploitation.
The first liberation brought political independence. This second one is about liberating our societies from fear, inequality and impunity. Just like the original pan African movement that united leaders, from Kwame Nkrumah to Julius Nyerere, today’s movement is driven by a belief that a united Africa is not just an aspiration. It is a necessity.
It would be naive to underestimate the challenges ahead. Repression is real. Many have paid a heavy price for their courage—some with their lives. Others, like myself, have been detained and deported, simply for standing in solidarity with our fellow Africans. However, we are undeterred. Because we know that no power is greater than the will of a people who refuse to be broken. As activists, when we speak about us and the oppressors, we say, “when we lose our fear, they lose their power”.
Human rights activist, lawyer and CEO of @VOCALAfrica
