TED2016
Siyanda Mohutsiwa: How young Africans found a voice on Twitter
Filmed:
Readability: 4.8
1,074,183 views
What can a young woman with an idea, an Internet connection and a bit of creativity achieve? That's all Siyanda Mohutsiwa needed to unite young African voices in a new way. Hear how Mohutsiwa and other young people across the continent are using social media to overcome borders and circumstance, accessing something they have long had to violently take: a voice.
Siyanda Mohutsiwa - Writer
When her hashtag #IfAfricaWasABar went viral, Botswana writer Siyanda Mohutsiwa triggered a lighthearted but electrifying discussion of some serious African issues. Full bio
When her hashtag #IfAfricaWasABar went viral, Botswana writer Siyanda Mohutsiwa triggered a lighthearted but electrifying discussion of some serious African issues. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
It began with one question:
0
760
2880
00:17
If Africa was a bar, what would
your country be drinking or doing?
your country be drinking or doing?
1
5222
5138
00:23
I kicked it off with a guess
about South Africa,
about South Africa,
2
11680
2776
00:26
which wasn't exactly
according to the rules
according to the rules
3
14480
2056
00:28
because South Africa's not my country.
4
16560
2520
00:31
But alluding to the country's
continual attempts
continual attempts
5
19640
3256
00:34
to build a postracial society
6
22920
2336
00:37
after being ravaged
for decades by apartheid,
for decades by apartheid,
7
25280
3296
00:40
I tweeted, #ifafricawasabar South Africa
would be drinking all kinds of alcohol
would be drinking all kinds of alcohol
8
28600
6336
00:46
and begging them
to get along in its stomach.
to get along in its stomach.
9
34960
2360
00:50
And then I waited.
10
38960
1696
00:52
And then I had that funny feeling
where I wondered if I crossed the line.
where I wondered if I crossed the line.
11
40680
3456
00:56
So, I sent out a few other tweets
about my own country
about my own country
12
44160
3176
00:59
and a few other African countries
I'm familiar with.
I'm familiar with.
13
47360
2560
01:02
And then I waited again,
14
50400
1256
01:03
but this time
15
51680
1376
01:05
I read through almost every tweet
I had ever tweeted
I had ever tweeted
16
53080
3416
01:08
to convince myself,
17
56520
1736
01:10
no, to remind myself that I'm really funny
18
58280
4096
01:14
and that if nobody gets it, that's fine.
19
62400
3119
01:18
But luckily,
20
66960
1216
01:20
I didn't have to do that for very long.
21
68200
2216
01:22
Very soon, people were participating.
22
70440
3040
01:26
In fact, by the end of that week in July,
23
74280
3256
01:29
the hashtag #ifafricawasabar
24
77560
2536
01:32
would have garnered around 60,000 tweets,
25
80120
3696
01:35
lit up the continent
26
83840
1656
01:37
and made its way to publications
all over the world.
all over the world.
27
85520
3160
01:41
People were using the hashtag
to do many different things.
to do many different things.
28
89240
3160
01:45
To poke fun at their stereotypes:
29
93280
2176
01:47
[#IfAfricaWasABar
Nigeria would be outside explaining
Nigeria would be outside explaining
30
95480
2616
01:50
that he will pay the entrance fee,
31
98120
1776
01:51
all he needs is
the bouncer's account details.]
the bouncer's account details.]
32
99920
2416
01:54
(Laughter)
33
102360
1216
01:55
To criticize government spending:
34
103600
2376
01:58
[#ifafricawasabar South Africa would be
ordering bottles it can't pronounce
ordering bottles it can't pronounce
35
106000
3576
02:01
running a tab it won't be able to pay]
36
109600
1856
02:03
To make light of geopolitical tensions:
37
111480
2576
02:06
[#IfAfricaWasABar
South Sudan would be the new guy
South Sudan would be the new guy
38
114080
2376
02:08
with serious anger management issues.]
39
116480
2216
02:10
To remind us that even in Africa
40
118720
1856
02:12
there are some countries
we don't know exist:
we don't know exist:
41
120600
2456
02:15
[#IfAfricaWasABar
Lesotho would be that person
Lesotho would be that person
42
123080
2376
02:17
who nobody really knows
but is always in the pictures.]
but is always in the pictures.]
43
125480
3016
02:20
And also to make fun of the countries
that don't think that they're in Africa:
that don't think that they're in Africa:
44
128520
4256
02:24
[#IfAfricaWasABar Egypt, Libya,
Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco
Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco
45
132800
3016
02:27
be like "What the hell
are we doing here?!!"]
are we doing here?!!"]
46
135840
2216
02:30
(Laughter)
47
138080
1896
02:32
And to note the countries
that had made a big turnaround:
that had made a big turnaround:
48
140000
4096
02:36
[#ifAfricawasabar
Rwanda would be that girl
Rwanda would be that girl
49
144120
2016
02:38
that comes with no money and no transport
but leaves drunk, happy and rich]
but leaves drunk, happy and rich]
50
146160
3616
02:41
But most importantly,
51
149800
1680
02:44
people were using the hashtag to connect.
52
152360
2640
02:47
People were connecting
over their Africanness.
over their Africanness.
53
155640
2880
02:51
So for one week in July,
54
159000
2296
02:53
Twitter became a real African bar.
55
161320
3720
02:57
And I was really thrilled,
56
165600
1376
02:59
mainly because I realized
that Pan-Africanism could work,
that Pan-Africanism could work,
57
167000
4360
03:04
that we had before us,
between us, at our fingertips
between us, at our fingertips
58
172200
5296
03:09
a platform that just needed a small spark
59
177520
3456
03:13
to light in us a hunger for each other.
60
181000
3400
03:17
My name is Siyanda Mohutsiwa,
61
185120
2176
03:19
I'm 22 years old
62
187320
1736
03:21
and I am Pan-Africanist by birth.
63
189080
2320
03:24
Now, I say I'm Pan-Africanist by birth
64
192160
2496
03:26
because my parents are
from two different African countries.
from two different African countries.
65
194680
3376
03:30
My father's from a country
called Botswana in southern Africa.
called Botswana in southern Africa.
66
198080
3736
03:33
It's only slightly bigger than Germany.
67
201840
3016
03:36
This year we celebrate
our 50th year of stable democracy.
our 50th year of stable democracy.
68
204880
4096
03:41
And it has some very progressive
social policies.
social policies.
69
209000
3576
03:44
My mother's country
is the Kingdom of Swaziland.
is the Kingdom of Swaziland.
70
212600
4016
03:48
It's a very, very small country,
also in southern Africa.
also in southern Africa.
71
216640
3216
03:51
It is Africa's last complete monarchy.
72
219880
3080
03:55
So it's been ruled by a king
and a royal family
and a royal family
73
223520
2816
03:58
in line with their tradition,
74
226360
1416
03:59
for a very long time.
75
227800
1320
04:01
On paper, these countries
seem very different.
seem very different.
76
229880
2976
04:04
And when I was a kid,
I could see the difference.
I could see the difference.
77
232880
3536
04:08
It rained a lot in one country,
it didn't rain quite as much in the other.
it didn't rain quite as much in the other.
78
236440
4456
04:12
But outside of that,
I didn't really realize
I didn't really realize
79
240920
2376
04:15
why it mattered that my parents
were from two different places.
were from two different places.
80
243320
3880
04:19
But it would go on
to have a very peculiar effect on me.
to have a very peculiar effect on me.
81
247720
4176
04:23
You see, I was born in one country
82
251920
2736
04:26
and raised in the other.
83
254680
1399
04:28
When we moved to Botswana,
84
256760
1896
04:30
I was a toddler who spoke fluent SiSwati
85
258680
2936
04:33
and nothing else.
86
261640
1576
04:35
So I was being introduced to my new home,
87
263240
2696
04:37
my new cultural identity,
88
265960
2256
04:40
as a complete outsider,
89
268240
2016
04:42
incapable of comprehending
anything that was being said to me
anything that was being said to me
90
270280
4256
04:46
by the family and country whose traditions
I was meant to move forward.
I was meant to move forward.
91
274560
4416
04:51
But very soon, I would shed SiSwati.
92
279000
4216
04:55
And when I would go back to Swaziland,
93
283240
2256
04:57
I would be constantly confronted
by how very non-Swazi I was becoming.
by how very non-Swazi I was becoming.
94
285520
4600
05:02
Add to that my entry
into Africa's private school system,
into Africa's private school system,
95
290640
3856
05:06
whose entire purpose
is to beat the Africanness out of you,
is to beat the Africanness out of you,
96
294520
3640
05:10
and I would have
a very peculiar adolescence.
a very peculiar adolescence.
97
298840
2840
05:14
But I think that my interest
in ideas of identity was born here,
in ideas of identity was born here,
98
302240
5856
05:20
in the strange intersection
of belonging to two places at once
of belonging to two places at once
99
308120
4256
05:24
but not really belonging
to either one very well
to either one very well
100
312400
3096
05:27
and belonging to this vast space
in between and around simultaneously.
in between and around simultaneously.
101
315520
5200
05:33
I became obsessed with the idea
of a shared African identity.
of a shared African identity.
102
321400
6360
05:40
Since then, I have continued
to read about politics
to read about politics
103
328560
2776
05:43
and geography and identity
and what all those things mean.
and what all those things mean.
104
331360
3416
05:46
I've also held on to a deep curiosity
about African philosophies.
about African philosophies.
105
334800
4736
05:51
When I began to read,
106
339560
1256
05:52
I gravitated towards the works
of black intellectuals
of black intellectuals
107
340840
3416
05:56
like Steve Biko and Frantz Fanon,
108
344280
2456
05:58
who tackled complex ideas
109
346760
1816
06:00
like decolonization
and black consciousness.
and black consciousness.
110
348600
3056
06:03
And when I thought, at 14,
that I had digested these grand ideas,
that I had digested these grand ideas,
111
351680
4216
06:07
I moved on to the speeches
of iconic African statesmen
of iconic African statesmen
112
355920
4056
06:12
like Burkina Faso's Thomas Sankara
113
360000
3016
06:15
and Congo's Patrice Lumumba.
114
363040
2416
06:17
I read every piece of African fiction
that I could get my hands on.
that I could get my hands on.
115
365480
4376
06:21
So when Twitter came,
116
369880
1656
06:23
I hopped on with the enthusiasm
of a teenage girl
of a teenage girl
117
371560
4176
06:27
whose friends are super, super bored
of hearing about all this random stuff.
of hearing about all this random stuff.
118
375760
5480
06:34
The year was 2011
119
382280
1336
06:35
and all over southern Africa
and the whole continent,
and the whole continent,
120
383640
3056
06:38
affordable data packages
for smartphones and Internet surfing
for smartphones and Internet surfing
121
386720
3896
06:42
became much easier to get.
122
390640
2816
06:45
So my generation, we were sending
messages to each other on this platform
messages to each other on this platform
123
393480
5456
06:50
that just needed 140 characters
and a little bit of creativity.
and a little bit of creativity.
124
398960
4456
06:55
On long commutes to work,
125
403440
2416
06:57
in lectures that some of us
should have been paying attention to,
should have been paying attention to,
126
405880
3456
07:01
on our lunch breaks,
127
409360
1576
07:02
we would communicate as much as we could
128
410960
2016
07:05
about the everyday realities
of being young and African.
of being young and African.
129
413000
3200
07:08
But of course, this luxury
was not available to everybody.
was not available to everybody.
130
416880
3496
07:12
So this meant that if you were
a teenage girl in Botswana
a teenage girl in Botswana
131
420400
3696
07:16
and you wanted
to have fun on the Internet,
to have fun on the Internet,
132
424120
2056
07:18
one, you had to tweet in English.
133
426200
2656
07:20
Two, you had to follow more than just
the three other people you knew online.
the three other people you knew online.
134
428880
4776
07:25
You had to follow South Africans,
Zimbabweans, Ghanaians, Nigerians.
Zimbabweans, Ghanaians, Nigerians.
135
433680
5056
07:30
And suddenly, your whole world opened up.
136
438760
2776
07:33
And my whole world did open up.
137
441560
2336
07:35
I followed vibrant Africans
who were travelling around the continent,
who were travelling around the continent,
138
443920
3816
07:39
taking pictures of themselves
139
447760
1456
07:41
and posting them
under the hashtag #myafrica.
under the hashtag #myafrica.
140
449240
3096
07:44
Because at that time,
141
452360
1456
07:45
if you were to search Africa
on Twitter or on Google
on Twitter or on Google
142
453840
3056
07:48
or any kind of social media,
143
456920
2256
07:51
you would think that the entire continent
was just pictures of animals
was just pictures of animals
144
459200
3776
07:55
and white guys drinking cocktails
in hotel resorts.
in hotel resorts.
145
463000
3496
07:58
(Laughter)
146
466520
2256
08:00
But Africans were using this platform
147
468800
2536
08:03
to take some kind of ownership
of the tourism sectors.
of the tourism sectors.
148
471360
4056
08:07
It was Africans taking selfies
on the beaches of Nigeria.
on the beaches of Nigeria.
149
475440
4016
08:11
It was Africans
in cocktail bars in Nairobi.
in cocktail bars in Nairobi.
150
479480
2960
08:15
And these were the same Africans
that I began to meet
that I began to meet
151
483040
2477
08:17
in my own travels around the continent.
152
485541
2435
08:20
We would discuss African literature,
politics, economic policy.
politics, economic policy.
153
488000
4976
08:25
But almost invariably, every single time,
154
493000
4136
08:29
we would end up discussing Twitter.
155
497160
2360
08:32
And that's when I realized what this was.
156
500160
2440
08:35
We were standing in the middle
of something amazing,
of something amazing,
157
503120
3296
08:38
because for the first time ever
158
506440
2296
08:40
young Africans could discuss
the future of our continent in real time,
the future of our continent in real time,
159
508760
5056
08:45
without the restriction of borders,
finances and watchful governments.
finances and watchful governments.
160
513840
4400
08:50
Because the little known truth is
161
518720
1935
08:52
many Africans know a lot less
about other African countries
about other African countries
162
520679
3857
08:56
than some Westerners
might know about Africa as a whole.
might know about Africa as a whole.
163
524560
3080
09:00
This is by accident,
164
528160
1576
09:01
but sometimes, it's by design.
165
529760
2136
09:03
For example, in apartheid South Africa,
166
531920
2936
09:06
black South Africans
were constantly being bombarded
were constantly being bombarded
167
534880
3496
09:10
with this message that any country
ruled by black people
ruled by black people
168
538400
3096
09:13
was destined for failure.
169
541520
1976
09:15
And this was done to convince them
170
543520
2536
09:18
that they were much better off
under crushing white rule
under crushing white rule
171
546080
3656
09:21
than they were living
in a black and free nation.
in a black and free nation.
172
549760
3360
09:25
Add to that Africa's colonial,
archaic education system,
archaic education system,
173
553640
5216
09:30
which has been unthinkingly
carried over from the 1920s --
carried over from the 1920s --
174
558880
3976
09:34
and at the age of 15,
I could name all the various causes
I could name all the various causes
175
562880
4296
09:39
of the wars that had happened
in Europe in the past 200 years,
in Europe in the past 200 years,
176
567200
4056
09:43
but I couldn't name the president
of my neighboring country.
of my neighboring country.
177
571280
2840
09:46
And to me, this doesn't make any sense
178
574640
2856
09:49
because whether we like it or not,
179
577520
2016
09:51
the fates of African people
are deeply intertwined.
are deeply intertwined.
180
579560
3640
09:55
When disaster hits, when turmoil hits,
181
583680
3496
09:59
we share the consequences.
182
587200
2136
10:01
When Burundians flee political turmoil,
183
589360
2976
10:04
they go to us,
184
592360
1336
10:05
to other African countries.
185
593720
2016
10:07
Africa has six of the world's
largest refugee centers.
largest refugee centers.
186
595760
3760
10:12
What was once a Burundian problem
187
600320
2656
10:15
becomes an African problem.
188
603000
2016
10:17
So to me, there are no Sudanese problems
189
605040
3576
10:20
or South African problems
or Kenyan problems,
or Kenyan problems,
190
608640
2416
10:23
only African problems
191
611080
1576
10:24
because eventually, we share the turmoil.
192
612680
2320
10:27
So if we share the problems,
193
615600
1736
10:29
why aren't we doing a better job
of sharing the successes?
of sharing the successes?
194
617360
3240
10:33
How can we do that?
195
621200
1216
10:34
Well, in the long term,
196
622440
1256
10:35
we can shoot towards
increasing inter-African trade,
increasing inter-African trade,
197
623720
2856
10:38
removing borders
and putting pressure on leaders
and putting pressure on leaders
198
626600
2536
10:41
to fulfill regional agreements
they've already signed.
they've already signed.
199
629160
3400
10:45
But I think that the biggest way
for Africa to share its successes
for Africa to share its successes
200
633200
5136
10:50
is to foster something
I like to call social Pan-Africanism.
I like to call social Pan-Africanism.
201
638360
4440
10:55
Now, political Pan-Africanism
already exists,
already exists,
202
643320
2856
10:58
so I'm not inventing anything
totally new here.
totally new here.
203
646200
2600
11:01
But political Pan-Africanism
204
649360
1576
11:02
is usually the African unity
of the political elite.
of the political elite.
205
650960
3536
11:06
And who does that benefit?
206
654520
1336
11:07
Well, African leaders, almost exclusively.
207
655880
2760
11:11
No, what I'm talking about
208
659280
2896
11:14
is the Pan-Africanism
of the ordinary African.
of the ordinary African.
209
662200
3080
11:17
Young Africans like me,
210
665840
2056
11:19
we are bursting with creative energy,
211
667920
2976
11:22
with innovative ideas.
212
670920
2496
11:25
But with bad governance
and shaky institutions,
and shaky institutions,
213
673440
3376
11:28
all of this potential could go to waste.
214
676840
2656
11:31
On a continent where more
than a handful of leaders
than a handful of leaders
215
679520
2536
11:34
have been in power longer
216
682080
1856
11:35
than the majority
of the populations has been alive,
of the populations has been alive,
217
683960
3400
11:40
we are in desperate need of something new,
218
688360
2800
11:43
something that works.
219
691760
1720
11:46
And I think that thing
is social Pan-Africanism.
is social Pan-Africanism.
220
694000
4960
11:51
My dream is that young Africans
221
699560
3136
11:54
stop allowing borders and circumstance
to suffocate our innovation.
to suffocate our innovation.
222
702720
5536
12:00
My dream is that when a young African
comes up with something brilliant,
comes up with something brilliant,
223
708280
4336
12:04
they don't say, "Well,
this wouldn't work in my country,"
this wouldn't work in my country,"
224
712640
3416
12:08
and then give up.
225
716080
1416
12:09
My dream is that young Africans
begin to realize
begin to realize
226
717520
3656
12:13
that the entire continent
is our canvas, is our home.
is our canvas, is our home.
227
721200
4320
12:18
Using the Internet,
we can begin to think collaboratively,
we can begin to think collaboratively,
228
726920
4336
12:23
we can begin to innovate together.
229
731280
2576
12:25
In Africa, we say,
"If you want to go fast, you go alone,
"If you want to go fast, you go alone,
230
733880
3576
12:29
but if you want to go far,
you go together."
you go together."
231
737480
2856
12:32
And I believe that social Pan-Africanism
is how we can go far together.
is how we can go far together.
232
740360
5760
12:39
And this is already happening.
233
747480
2016
12:41
Access to these online networks
has given young Africans
has given young Africans
234
749520
2976
12:44
something we've always
had to violently take: a voice.
had to violently take: a voice.
235
752520
4376
12:48
We now have a platform.
236
756920
1896
12:50
Before now, if you wanted
to hear from the youth in Africa,
to hear from the youth in Africa,
237
758840
3936
12:54
you waited for the 65-year-old
minister of youth --
minister of youth --
238
762800
3736
12:58
(Laughter)
239
766560
1296
12:59
to wake up in the morning,
240
767880
1520
13:01
take his heartburn medication
241
769960
2080
13:05
and then tell you the plans
he has for your generation
he has for your generation
242
773360
2896
13:08
in 20 years time.
243
776280
1480
13:10
Before now, if you wanted to be heard
by your possibly tyrannical government,
by your possibly tyrannical government,
244
778400
5936
13:16
you were pushed to protest,
suffer the consequences
suffer the consequences
245
784360
3376
13:19
and have your fingers crossed
246
787760
1656
13:21
that some Western paper somewhere
might make someone care.
might make someone care.
247
789440
3520
13:25
But now we have opportunities
to back each other up
to back each other up
248
793560
2816
13:28
in ways we never could before.
249
796400
2216
13:30
We support South African students
250
798640
1736
13:32
who are marching against
ridiculously high tertiary fees.
ridiculously high tertiary fees.
251
800400
3616
13:36
We support Zimbabwean women
who are marching to parliament.
who are marching to parliament.
252
804040
3336
13:39
We support Angolan journalists
who are being illegally detained.
who are being illegally detained.
253
807400
3440
13:43
For the first time ever,
254
811560
2136
13:45
African pain and African aspiration
255
813720
4456
13:50
has the ability to be witnessed
256
818200
3296
13:53
by those who can empathize
with it the most:
with it the most:
257
821520
3616
13:57
other Africans.
258
825160
1280
13:58
I believe that with
a social Pan-Africanist thinking
a social Pan-Africanist thinking
259
826920
3936
14:02
and using the Internet as a tool,
260
830880
2040
14:05
we can begin to rescue each other,
261
833920
2856
14:08
and ultimately, to rescue ourselves.
262
836800
3576
14:12
Thank you.
263
840400
1216
14:13
(Applause)
264
841640
7908
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Siyanda Mohutsiwa - WriterWhen her hashtag #IfAfricaWasABar went viral, Botswana writer Siyanda Mohutsiwa triggered a lighthearted but electrifying discussion of some serious African issues.
Why you should listen
Blogger, humorist and math student Siyanda Mohutsiwa explores African topics both weighty (reviving PanAfricanism) and witty (“5 things NOT to say when trying to seduce an Afrikaner”). Her columns for African media outlets like the Mail & Guardian, Za News, and her own website Siyanda Writes have gained a loyal following.
But when Mohutsiwa’s hashtag #IfAfricaWasABar exploded on Twitter, the viral thread (which pondered the hypothetical bar mannerisms of various African nations) became a platform for everyday Africans to unite in a playful dialogue on national differences, and helped turn Mohutsiwa into a social media star.
Siyanda Mohutsiwa | Speaker | TED.com