“The baze is our workstation, we report here every day”—Understanding the Role of Youth Practices in Urban Subculture

Abstract

Abstract Contemporary globalisation and urbanisation continue to play a significant role in how the youths (re)create and (re)define urban spaces in Africa. Major cities across the continent are becoming active sites for social and cultural transformation. With the economic slowdown and increased rate of unemployment, youths are seeking ways to adapt to these realities while at the same time staying true to their urban identity. The present study uses participatory observation to examine two of the emerging youth practices in Nairobi, which are, the baze and gengetone music, to underscore how the youths in Nairobi Eastlands engage these practices both as sites for bolstering their urban identity and as alternative spaces for earning a livelihood. The study reveals that both the baze and gengetone music are available platforms which city youths use to construct their urban identities while dealing with local social challenges such as alcoholism, drug abuse and negative ethnicity, as well as harsh economic realities such as unemployment and a high cost of living. Further examination shows that discourse spaces created by these practices afford them a chance to participate in matters of national interest where they can contest and challenge social orders that are oppressive.