Shades of party activism: understanding ZANU-PF youth activists

Abstract

This article contributes to debates on authoritarian renewal and youth party activism in Africa, based on case study research with youth who are active in the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF). While youth activism and electoral politics is a subject of rich scholarship, there is limited knowledge on the motivations and agency of the party youth of hegemonic ruling parties. The study engaged a diverse group of ZANU-PF youth to understand their journeys into party activism, how they negotiate the discourses and authoritarian practices promoted by ZANU-PF, and their political agency on behalf of and within the party. The article analyses the everyday ways through which youth activists take part in ZANU-PF structures and activities, noting the dimensions of class and gender. The findings demonstrate the existing ‘shades in activism’, with some youth being born into the party and others joining in search of opportunities, but this does not exclude the possibility of some wanting to promote the prosperity of others. Some self-proclaimed loyalists embrace ZANU-PF narratives, while most are highly critical of the ruling party. We argue that everyday forms of youth activism may constitute authoritarianism from below. Whether ‘at the front’ or ‘at the back’, all ZANU-PF youth contribute to the reproduction of the systems and networks of ZANU-PF, and thus authoritarian renewal, especially because the room for contestation and change from within the ruling party is limited.