ABSTRACT
In an attempt to locate analysis of political economy, this chapter contributes to dialogue that speaks to the connections within the larger discourse about identity, ideology or subjectivity of youth. Political, economic and cultural analysis of Planète Jeunes continues the debate over whether global print media mainstreams, and ultimately erodes, local African youth cultures or merely reflects the ways in which African youth react and ultimately adopt and appropriate such globalized cultural traditions as part of their own. Launched in 1993, Planète Jeunes has become a platform of information, advancement, expression and exchange for young Africans. The reality is that young Africans are increasingly much more educated than before, but there is also the reality that they are less likely, even with education, to acquire gainful employment. Young Francophone Africans compete with the dominant cultural agendas of our day and also with the competing media agendas.
