** Kinshasa, a call for youth: beyond words, how to act? **
In the heart of Kinshasa, in institutional offices, the climate ignites a promise. A thin delegation, very fresh, is about to fly to New York. They are not on a tourism mission, but on a business trip for the collective dream, that of a bright future for Congolese youth. On April 9, 2025, Minister Noëlla Ayeganagato urged these young people to embrace “concrete opportunities” during the youth forum of the Economic and Social Council. Does that really mean something, or is it just a litany of good intentions, an empty box of hope?
The scene is typical, almost picturesque. We see the members of the delegation, experienced by years of struggle in a country where words “sustainable development” are dangerously flirting with utopia. Evoking sustainable development in Kinshasa is also inviting the ghosts of minerals exploited by multinationals, after centuries of colonial exploitation. We are talking about a country which, despite its richness in natural resources, fights against deep poverty, illiteracy and a glaring lack of basic infrastructure. A country that must juggle brutal ideals and realities.
The minister, all in convictions, raises a valid point: the need to be the voice of the new generation. But if this delegation is there to wear the colors of the Congo, who really listen to them? Beyond the fiery speeches, how many young people are really represented among these spokespersons? Will La Voix des Lisés-led-Count, excluding conversations on development, manage to infiltrate the UN currency? Or will they once again be the extras of a great show where the only promises made will be those found on glossy paper?
The history of international forums is not the most brilliant. Generations of elected officials have taken these planes for grandiose concerns, without concrete return to the country. Provided that this delegation does not end up like so many others, to go around the speeches circuit, to take photos with European ministers, to collect applause without falling on the Congolo-Urban soil. A mission for the fatherland, as Ayeganagato recalled, but what patriotism, if basically the daily reality of millions of young people remains inviolated?
It is also time to question these “concrete opportunities”. How do they translate into the villages of Ituri or in the alleys of Kinshasa? Is it a better funded school promise, improved job programs, or just a good word hanging on a speech? The danger here is that these ‘opportunities’ are not transformed into mirages. We need to see how the DRC could integrate the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development in the field, not only in the green tribunes of New York.
The reality is that the young Congolese live the future embodied on a daily basis, between despair and resilience. What seems to be a promise for some could only be a lure for others, as long as the structures that support them are absent. The question that persists is: who carries with it the voice of young people? Will the delegation embody a wind of change, or only a reflection of government speech?
The answer, if there is one, will not be in the golden salons of New York, but in the tired hearts of those who, here in Kinshasa, wait for the words to result in palpable actions. Yes, the forum is a strategic platform, but a foundation -free platform remains a mirage. However, hope is sometimes the only thing we have left, a glow in this persistent darkness. That young people from the DRC can be the architects. Because, basically, their future is in their hands. They should never have waited for a (re) presentation to get up. It’s time to break the waiting channels.