By Comlan Wesseh
I spent the last decade of my life moving back and forth between Liberia and the U.S. and over the last two years, I had the unique opportunity and privilege to watch closely how tough it is to make it in Liberia. Liberia is one of the poorest countries in the world and is the oldest republic in Africa. I encountered a wide range of young individuals from various walks of life with very different goals and opinions during my time in Liberia and I was able to arrive at one simple conclusion, that the youth are extremely driven but are being starved of opportunities through corrupt systems.
I am blessed to have a family where both my parents are internationally acclaimed politicians. Therefore, these realities bring a lot of attention and access to my family. This access provided me the opportunity to gain an in-depth perspective and truly know the people living day to day in Liberia, as well as an understanding of the underlying factors that keep them in such dire circumstances. I have befriended many people from different backgrounds, aspirations, and challenges. This, in turn, helped foster a communal sense of activism rather than the constant feeling of survival mode that drives so many of our African people today.
I felt a social obligation due to two social phenomena. Firstly, I wanted to change the way average citizens viewed the participation of the “rich kids” in social matters and how we can use our influence on social and sustainable change. Secondly, I wanted to experience an educational enterprise, during which we would all be learning from each other and encourage positive inclusivity and motivation from peers. The youth had extraordinary vision and their innovative approach was mind-blowing. However, as I embarked on this journey, it became very clear from the early stages that many young men and women did not have access or resources to ensure their success.
You almost have to remind yourself that they have done all these exemplary things as products of corrupted educational systems and one can only think of the endless possibilities if the proper attention and resources are accessible to them. I met future architects, doctors, computer scientists, civil engineers, etc, but many of them are at risk of never fulfilling their dreams due to the same corrupt systems and atrocious leaders. People under the age of 35 make up for almost 70% of the Liberian population, however, unemployment is at a staggering 80% which leaves many young Liberians disenfranchised and thus turning to immoral alternatives just to survive. I believe that if we provide more opportunities for empowerment to youth, we would be impacting the next generation in countless ways such as providing them with positive role models, hope for a better life, and most importantly, an alternative to survival mode corruption. We would avoid losing our countries brightest minds to the already established western powers. All these young people want is a glimmer of hope within their country and they would be willing to better it for the next generations.