So Many Protests?

I am going to show you 2 images. Both indicate the number of protests that have happened in the African continent. Which of these represents the current political protests happening in the last 2 years?   

If you picked the image 1, you are just like me before I reviewed the data from Carnegie Global Protest Tracker. There is a general state of calm in the African continent concerning protests. However, your assumption that many protests are occurring is because of your exposure to different media. You are constantly fed with information to think things are generally bleak. If you look at the wider picture, nothing is more opposite from the truth.  

There have been 24 protests in Africa over the last 4 years. Only 8 out of 54 states have held significant political protests since 2023.  That is such a small number given that these protests had less than 100,000 protesters.  

What is the point here? On this International Youth Day, I would like you to make a deliberate effort to desensitize yourself. Put down your phone and go share a coffee with an old friend. Or go make a new one. Watch a movie. Do something to desensitize yourself of the feeling that all things are bad.  

But leave a comment, like, and share before you go out there. Happy International Youth Day.