ABSTRACT
The mass uprising in Burkina Faso that ended the rule of President Blaise Compaore in 2014 is one of the many that have ended regimes of African leaders like Ben Ali (Tunisia), Muhammad Hosni Mubarak (Egypt), Bashir (Sudan), and Abdoulaye Wade (Senegal). The pressure from the youth for political change is a demonstration of the frustration of unemployed and marginalised youth, suppressed by corrupt leaders, in an era of poor governance. Despite the innovative, impressive, and strategic means employed by the youth to ensure political changes, their influence in the political scene is restricted after the revolution. Their contribution to political change and development becomes a mirage. Using Burkina Faso as a case study, this chapter examined what influences the success of youth uprisings in Africa? What justifies the restricted roles of the youth in post-revolution political governance and state development? How can the youth and the heroes of revolutions partake in the state’s political reconstruction and development?
