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I've written this in a paywalled thing but in the context of the debate on the TL today: the generational marker for millenials in Africa is not avocado toast or home ownership. It is HIV/AIDS. We are the generation that had to learn, navigate and then survive another pandemic.
We are the generation that saw our relatives fall ill and die from a disease that adults could not adequately explain. "Witchraft" was wrong. "Vidudu" (small parasites) was incomplete. We had to learn basic virology, a whole new lexicon, and overcome stigma within 15-20 years.
We are the "safe sex" generation that had condom demonstrations in schools, and classes on HIV/AIDS every year from the age of 12 through to the end of high school. We are the kids who got free condoms at school events, and saw VCT centres pop up on every corner of the town.
We learnt about ARVs and that it was important to get tested. We memorised the catchphrases ("uki freak bila socks, no diggity umetrip") and had to get comfortable with public conversations about sex because "tabia mbaya" was no longer enough.
It's not just that Africa is young. It's that young Africans already have significant experience in navigating a pandemic without a considerable public health infrastructure. Of course it's not the ideal situation - we need proper public health systems - but...
Don't underestimate the strength of community health systems in Africa. A lot of that infrastructure was built in response to HIV/AIDS, to allow the message to reach even the most remote places. Don't underestimate how much surviving one pandemic helps folks navigate another.
