Latest news with #olderGenerations
Zawya
4 days ago
- Politics
- Zawya
African youth lag behind elders in political and civic participation except for protest, new Afrobarometer flagship report reveals
African youth are less likely than older generations to engage in a variety of political and civic activities, with one exception – protest, Afrobarometer's ( new flagship report ( reveals. The largest generational disparity is in voting, where the youth (aged 18-35) trail their elders by a striking 18 percentage points. Youth are also less likely to feel close to a political party, to attend a community meeting, to join with others to raise an issue, and to contact traditional leaders and local government councillors. The report, the second in an annual series on high-priority topics, draws on data spanning the past decade, including the latest round of nationally representative surveys in 39 countries, representing the views of more than three-fourths of the continent's population. The analysis focuses on 10 key indicators of citizen engagement. These generational gaps underscore the challenges of political participation on the world's most youthful continent if governments fail to create channels for meaningful engagement. The new flagship report, based on 53,444 face-to-face interviews, is accompanied by country scorecards ( on citizen engagement that provide an at-a-glance snapshot of key indicators of citizen participation for each of the surveyed countries. Afrobarometer survey Afrobarometer is a pan-African, non-partisan survey research network that provides reliable data on African experiences and evaluations of democracy, governance, and quality of life. Nine survey rounds in up to 42 countries have been completed since 1999. Round 9 surveys (2021/2023) cover 39 countries. Afrobarometer's national partners conduct face-to-face interviews in the language of the respondent's choice. National samples of 1,200-2,400 yield country-level results with margins of error of +/-2 to +/-3 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. Key findings African youth (aged 18-35) are less likely than older generations to attend a community meeting (-12 percentage points), contact traditional leaders (-10 points), contact local government councillors (-10 points), feel close to a political party (-8 points), and join with others to raise an issue (-8 points) (Figure 1). The most striking deficit is in voter turnout (-18 percentage points). Senegal (-29 percentage points), Cameroon (-28 points), and Zimbabwe (-28 points) exhibit the largest disparities in voting rates by age (Figure 2). Attendance at community meetings sees the widest gaps in Côte d'Ivoire (-28 points), Zambia (-26 points), and Botswana (-24 points) (Figure 3). When it comes to direct engagement with local government officials, the largest disparities are in Lesotho (-24 points), Zambia (-20 points), Guinea (-16 points), and Kenya (-16 points) (Figure 4). Youth are more likely than their elders to participate in protests in many African countries, although rates in 16 countries differ by no more than 1 percentage point (Figure 5). Tunisia stands out with the largest gap in protest rates (+17 points), followed by Sudan (+9 points) and São Tomé and Príncipe (+7 points). Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Afrobarometer. Link to the full flagship report: For more information, please contact: Josephine Appiah-Nyamekye Sanny Director of Communications Email: jappiah@ Telephone: +233 243240933 Social Media: Facebook X LinkedIn YouTube Instagram WhatsApp Bluesky Visit us online at Follow our releases on #VoicesAfrica.
Khaleej Times
4 days ago
- General
- Khaleej Times
UAE: How Emirati women once used different burqa'a colours to signify stages of life
The Emirati burqa'a, once a daily sign of modesty and social status, is now a fading tradition cherished by older generations and seen as a cultural symbol by younger ones. For women who do wear it, the face covering is not just an accessory but a piece of memories and identity sewn into its fabric. The term 'burqa' often refers to the full-body garment worn in some Muslim communities, covering the entire body. However, the Emirati burqa'a is distinct. In the UAE and parts of the Gulf, it refers to a decorative, stiffened cloth mask that covers part of the face, typically the nose and eyebrows, and sometimes the mouth, while leaving the eyes uncovered. The accessory is widely used to depict Emirati heritage during exhibitions and national occasions. Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels. Visual artist Karima Al Shomely, who uses the traditional Emirati burqa'a in modern artistic productions as part of her creative work, describes it as a vital part of Emirati heritage rather than a religious symbol. She explains that it signified modesty, social status and protection from the harsh desert climate, and that migration to the UAE from Oman in the 19th century was facilitated through cultural exchange. She notes that regional variations emerged over time: older women chose smaller eye openings to conceal wrinkles or missing teeth; desert tribes dressed girls as young as seven in oversized burqa'as for skin protection; and colours like metallic gold-green and purple reflected age and status. Medium-length Miayani burqa'as often marked newly married women, while the Eastern Mankous, with its inverted 'sword', rested on the tip of the nose. More than an ornament, the burqa'a once enabled women to work outdoors modestly, navigate social rules and mark the transition from girlhood to womanhood. Worn for a lifetime Some elderly Emirati women continue to wear them as they have for decades. Seventy-year-old Zaafarana Ahmed Khamis first wore the veil after her marriage and has kept the practice for more than 46 years. 'In the past, there were clear rules about the burqa'a. Young unmarried girls wore larger ones that covered almost the entire face and chest, while married women could wear slightly smaller ones with wider eye openings.' Teen girls used to wear deep red or dark burqa'as, signalling modesty, while brides transitioned to a shiny, gold-tinted version that reflected their maturity and marital status. Inside homes, a single nail by the door held the burqa'a. As Khamis recalled: 'If someone knocked, we would immediately put on the burqa'a before opening the door.' The burqa'a was never just fabric. It was hand-sewn, held in place by the Al Seif, a strip of local wood across the nose, and tied with the al Shubuq, a red cotton or wool string fastened at the back of the head. Weddings were a milestone in the life cycle of the burqa'a, as brides received smaller, married-women styles in their trousseau. But today, Zaafarana says the meaning has shifted. 'It used to be for coverage and modesty. Now, younger women wear smaller, thinner designs that are more decorative than protective.' From daily wear to ceremonial symbol For 65-year-old Aisha Ali Al-Blooshi, the burqa'a has reappeared in talli-embroidered, indigo-dyed and even gold-plated forms for National Day and weddings. 'These new burqa'as are for occasions or fashion. They are not the same as what we used to wear every day. They are symbolic now, not our daily life,' she said. She predicts that the covering will 'survive only as a ceremonial or fashionable accessory' for future generations. Younger women now prefer the hijab, niqab or ghashwa. Eighty-year-old Maryam Salem remembers when the burqa'a was inseparable from adulthood. She first wore it on her wedding night at 17 because, in her region, unmarried girls were never expected to wear face coverings. She recalls buying indigo dye at the market, hand-sewing her own burqa'a, and later making them for others to sell at Dh3 to Dh5 each. To her, the burqa'a is a piece of her identity. Today, as the covering becomes a piece of heritage rather than a necessity, women like Khamis, Al Blooshi and Salem continue to wear it, honouring a tradition that speaks to the identity and resilience of Emirati women even as it fades from daily life.
