From 'Goma veut de l'eau' to 'Kabila doit partir': Perspectives on Youth, Urban Protest and Armed Conflict in Goma, Eastern DR Congo

For the first time in history, the bulk of the African population are both young and living in cities, making this an auspicious time to be thinking about youth, protest, and the city. What does protest mean to youth and their futures and how does it unfold in an urban space deeply affected by war? This chapter sheds light on the violent and non-violent forms of protest adopted by the youth in Goma, the capital of the war-torn North Kivu province in Eastern DR Congo. Specifically, we analyse two protests that emerged due to Goma's rapid urbanization (Goma veut de l'eau) and the surrounding armed conflict (Kabila doit partir). These case studies demonstrate the complexity of contentious politics in the Eastern DRC and argue that protest is the very site where politics is played out and where youth imagine alternative political futures and new representational politics for their city and their country. Protest is thus a space wherein new possibilities can emerge and give meaning to young protesters. By focusing on both, young activists in the civic movement la Lucha and 'ordinary' youth from the urban fringes, we complicate simplistic notions of youth being stuck in 'waithood' but actively making their claims and ideas about alternative futures heard through protest.