0:00:12.920,0:00:16.055 So, I'm here to recruit you. 0:00:16.055,0:00:17.555 (Laughter) 0:00:17.555,0:00:21.117 But not in the sense that you're thinking.[br]I know I'm a politician. 0:00:21.710,0:00:24.189 I'll save that for another day. 0:00:24.189,0:00:26.460 I'm here to try and encourage you 0:00:26.460,0:00:29.189 to take up a leadership role[br]in public service 0:00:29.189,0:00:31.950 in your country and on your continent. 0:00:33.333,0:00:35.380 I'm here to convince you 0:00:35.380,0:00:38.390 that your country[br]and your continent need you - 0:00:38.390,0:00:43.097 not later, not when you're older[br]and more experienced, but now - 0:00:45.199,0:00:47.798 and that whether you realize it or not, 0:00:47.798,0:00:51.440 your country's politics[br]are going to be doomed to fail 0:00:51.440,0:00:55.489 unless you're willing[br]to get involved right now. 0:00:56.279,0:00:59.450 So my recruitment pitch [br]comes with a single disclaimer: 0:00:59.450,0:01:02.645 I resigned from public office[br]18 months ago. 0:01:02.645,0:01:04.120 (Laughter) 0:01:04.120,0:01:06.989 I did it in order to take stock[br]of my time in office, 0:01:06.989,0:01:09.074 to think about the work that I had done, 0:01:09.074,0:01:12.550 to capacitate myself with skills,[br]knowledge, contacts, 0:01:12.550,0:01:14.660 allies and experiences, 0:01:14.660,0:01:18.820 and to find a little bit of personal[br]and professional perspective. 0:01:18.820,0:01:22.779 It's one of the best decisions[br]I think I've ever made. 0:01:24.159,0:01:27.840 I imagine that some time during the next[br]18 minutes while I'm pitching you, 0:01:27.840,0:01:29.150 you're going to think, 0:01:29.150,0:01:32.250 "Yeah, it's easy for you to say[br]I should go into public service. 0:01:32.250,0:01:34.600 You've already done it and you've left." 0:01:34.600,0:01:36.520 But I hope I'll be able to convince you 0:01:36.520,0:01:41.370 that, in fact, we all find ourselves[br]in exactly the same boat right now. 0:01:41.909,0:01:45.269 Because being outside[br]of politics for 18 months 0:01:45.269,0:01:48.027 has reminded me[br]just how important it is 0:01:48.408,0:01:51.019 and just how much the political landscapes 0:01:51.019,0:01:54.609 in my country and in your countries[br]and on our continent 0:01:54.609,0:01:59.765 are truly lacking in good leadership[br]and political talent. 0:02:00.760,0:02:03.109 So, I want to make a deal with you. 0:02:03.609,0:02:07.760 I'm not going to return to active politics[br]unless you come with me. 0:02:07.760,0:02:09.340 (Laughter) 0:02:09.340,0:02:11.170 I'm not going to do it alone. 0:02:12.300,0:02:17.570 I won't go back unless I can convince[br]smart, entrepreneurial, highly skilled, 0:02:17.570,0:02:20.760 talented, experienced [br]young Africans like yourselves 0:02:20.760,0:02:23.490 and millions more like you[br]across the continent, 0:02:23.490,0:02:25.810 that the best chance [br]that our countries have, 0:02:26.042,0:02:28.800 not just for survival[br]but for lasting prosperity, 0:02:29.044,0:02:32.051 is if our most talented[br]citizens step forward 0:02:32.051,0:02:34.539 and make themselves available, 0:02:34.539,0:02:38.602 either for political party, leadership[br]or for public service and government. 0:02:39.230,0:02:41.950 So over the next 16-or-so minutes[br]that are remaining, 0:02:41.950,0:02:44.890 I'm going to alternately[br]flatter you, as I just have, 0:02:44.890,0:02:45.780 (Laughter) 0:02:45.780,0:02:47.069 I'm going to challenge you, 0:02:47.069,0:02:49.222 I'm going to talk to you[br]about my experiences, 0:02:49.222,0:02:51.390 about a couple of facts and figures; 0:02:51.783,0:02:53.730 I may even frighten you a little bit. 0:02:53.730,0:02:55.710 And it'll be entirely worth it 0:02:55.710,0:02:59.400 if that fear convinces you[br]of the urgency of the point in history 0:02:59.400,0:03:01.700 that we find ourselves in today. 0:03:02.260,0:03:05.804 Everything I say today will be[br]in service of a single objective: 0:03:05.804,0:03:10.480 convincing you, showing you,[br]that your countries need you; 0:03:11.210,0:03:14.469 that Africa's prosperity[br]may depend on many things - 0:03:14.469,0:03:17.519 entrepreneurialism,[br]industrial development, 0:03:17.539,0:03:19.570 health reform, social upliftment - 0:03:19.570,0:03:21.548 but that all of these hinge 0:03:21.548,0:03:25.899 upon the success of politics[br]and government in our countries. 0:03:26.559,0:03:29.811 I can't begin a talk[br]about public service, of course, 0:03:29.811,0:03:33.240 without honoring my former[br]president Nelson Mandela, 0:03:33.240,0:03:35.670 the father of democratic South Africa. 0:03:35.670,0:03:38.882 (Cheers) (Applause) 0:03:40.949,0:03:45.619 President Mandela passed away[br]on this day in 2013. 0:03:46.158,0:03:48.549 I really believe that[br]when the people of my country 0:03:48.549,0:03:51.269 look back on the day that he passed away, 0:03:51.269,0:03:55.090 it'll be seen as an inflection point[br]in South Africa's history. 0:03:55.770,0:04:00.560 The day we decided whether we could,[br]indeed, go it alone without him. 0:04:01.740,0:04:03.579 What's written in those history books 0:04:03.579,0:04:06.269 will depend entirely[br]on whether this generation, 0:04:06.269,0:04:08.879 which includes all of you[br]sitting in this room, 0:04:09.462,0:04:11.659 recognizes that the time has come for us 0:04:11.659,0:04:15.072 to take up the work[br]that President Mandela left for us, 0:04:15.072,0:04:20.009 before that work is captured by people[br]who would use power and politics 0:04:20.009,0:04:22.690 for empty vanity and personal gain. 0:04:23.980,0:04:25.229 I'm referring, of course, 0:04:25.229,0:04:28.499 to the young man who was here[br]in London this very past week. 0:04:29.674,0:04:35.050 Defiling the name of the visionary leader,[br]the intellectual and political strategist, 0:04:35.050,0:04:38.510 the formidable athlete,[br]the Prince of the Abathembu nation 0:04:38.510,0:04:42.100 who served as a South Africa's[br]first democratic president. 0:04:42.680,0:04:45.820 The young man who tried to taint[br]President Mandela's legacy 0:04:45.820,0:04:48.770 with a few throwaway lines, 0:04:48.770,0:04:52.390 all in service of getting [br]cheap headlines, which he got. 0:04:52.708,0:04:56.618 People like this,[br]who we leave public service to 0:04:56.618,0:04:59.749 when we stay out[br]of the fray of public service, 0:04:59.749,0:05:04.740 are the reason your country[br]and my country needs you and needs us. 0:05:05.370,0:05:06.840 So let us begin. 0:05:07.640,0:05:10.319 I want to first talk to you [br]about the African diaspora. 0:05:10.510,0:05:12.939 You may have heard[br]about a study in 2013 0:05:13.350,0:05:15.154 that revealed 0:05:15.154,0:05:20.414 that cash transfers from Africans[br]living outside of the continent 0:05:20.731,0:05:26.037 have now begun to exceed donor aid[br]from foreign countries into Africa. 0:05:26.037,0:05:28.410 (Applause) 0:05:29.245,0:05:33.200 In 2012, total remittances to Africa[br]stood at 60 billion dollars 0:05:33.200,0:05:34.337 while in the same year, 0:05:34.337,0:05:36.930 official development aid[br]to Sub-Saharan Africa 0:05:36.930,0:05:40.780 totalled 44.6 billion by comparison. 0:05:41.020,0:05:43.180 Now, this got me thinking. 0:05:44.099,0:05:47.844 If we can do such great work[br]with our money from outside of Africa, 0:05:47.844,0:05:51.310 what can we do with our skills,[br]our talent, our experiences, 0:05:51.310,0:05:55.645 our education and our passion[br]for our countries and for our continent? 0:05:56.300,0:05:59.020 I've spent the past semester[br]at the Harvard Kennedy School 0:05:59.020,0:06:01.080 as a fellow at the Institute of Politics. 0:06:01.090,0:06:03.520 I ran a seminar which was called 0:06:03.520,0:06:06.640 "How to build a democracy?[br]Lessons from South Africa." 0:06:06.640,0:06:09.210 It was also about Zimbabwe and Malawi.[br] 0:06:09.210,0:06:10.313 And it wasn't intended 0:06:10.313,0:06:13.420 to make it seem like we got[br]everything right in South Africa, 0:06:13.420,0:06:15.520 but it was asking the critical question: 0:06:15.520,0:06:17.160 Now that we have this legacy 0:06:17.160,0:06:19.480 of peaceful transition,[br]of constitutionalism, 0:06:19.480,0:06:21.443 of difficult negotiations, 0:06:21.443,0:06:23.940 which were very, very difficultly gotten, 0:06:24.360,0:06:27.470 are we going to be successful[br]in entrenching that democracy 0:06:27.470,0:06:29.900 and making it last into the future? 0:06:30.181,0:06:33.180 Now, one of the benefits[br]of being an African 0:06:33.829,0:06:36.050 in an academic setting like New England 0:06:36.050,0:06:38.760 is that other African students[br]reach out to you, 0:06:38.760,0:06:40.220 they want to talk to you, 0:06:40.220,0:06:43.970 and many of them express to you[br]their desire to enter public service. 0:06:44.440,0:06:48.370 So I had students knocking down my door,[br]wanting to talk to me in office hours 0:06:48.370,0:06:50.780 about the fact that they have[br]Ghanean parents 0:06:50.780,0:06:52.170 but they were born in Texas. 0:06:52.170,0:06:54.270 They really wanted to give back to Ghana, 0:06:54.270,0:06:56.230 but they're afraid that if they go home, 0:06:56.230,0:06:58.580 nobody will take them[br]seriously as real Africans. 0:06:58.760,0:07:01.530 I had students who said they had families, 0:07:01.898,0:07:04.830 wives, children, husbands,[br]partners to take care of, 0:07:04.830,0:07:07.610 perhaps they were better off[br]staying in the United States 0:07:07.610,0:07:09.730 and providing for their families back home 0:07:09.730,0:07:12.537 rather than going back[br]and getting into public service. 0:07:14.822,0:07:18.430 This got me thinking[br]about the question of skills remittance, 0:07:18.430,0:07:22.720 of talent remittance,[br]of social and political remittance. 0:07:23.316,0:07:25.520 If these young people have the passion 0:07:25.795,0:07:28.843 to give back to their[br]communities monetarily, 0:07:29.198,0:07:31.983 imagine how different[br]our politics would be 0:07:31.983,0:07:35.103 if those same skills,[br]influence, leadership, talent 0:07:35.103,0:07:38.100 were put at work in service[br]of the public good. 0:07:38.620,0:07:40.842 And that includes all of you in this room 0:07:40.842,0:07:43.360 because many of you[br]are also part of the diaspora. 0:07:44.090,0:07:45.690 I'm here to recruit you. 0:07:45.690,0:07:47.749 I'm here to make a deal with you. 0:07:48.103,0:07:51.610 I'm not going back[br]unless I take you with me. 0:07:51.610,0:07:52.875 (Laugther) 0:07:53.390,0:07:57.860 Now, I know that most of you,[br]if not the vast majority of you, 0:07:58.211,0:08:02.950 are completely fed up, turned off,[br]discouraged, disgusted by politics, 0:08:02.950,0:08:05.930 either in your country,[br]in this country, all over the world. 0:08:06.630,0:08:11.000 Perhaps you are discouraged by the fact[br]that governments are slow to deliver. 0:08:11.000,0:08:12.400 Perhaps they're inefficient. [br] 0:08:12.400,0:08:15.269 Perhaps they are thoroughly[br]corrupt and rotten to the core. 0:08:15.269,0:08:18.690 Perhaps they're responsible[br]for conflicts that have claimed lives 0:08:18.690,0:08:22.669 and livelihoods in the countries[br]from which you come. 0:08:22.669,0:08:24.959 So why would you sink your time[br]and your energies 0:08:24.959,0:08:27.010 into such a compromised system? 0:08:27.178,0:08:28.806 One of the most powerful analyses 0:08:28.806,0:08:32.368 of conflict, inefficiency,[br]corruption, stagnation 0:08:32.368,0:08:35.499 which I've encountered[br]in recent months 0:08:35.499,0:08:37.858 is the question of a political economy. 0:08:38.169,0:08:41.969 There is a reason that our governments[br]are not performing as they should. 0:08:42.620,0:08:45.409 It's not just because of[br]a failure within the system. 0:08:45.409,0:08:49.550 Consider the political economy of conflict[br]and corruption in your own country. 0:08:49.550,0:08:51.949 Why is it so difficult to overcome? 0:08:51.949,0:08:55.020 Who is making money or amassing power 0:08:55.020,0:08:57.620 because things don't work[br]the way they should? 0:08:57.934,0:08:59.820 Where does the back stop? 0:08:59.820,0:09:03.450 Who has an incentive to keep[br]the system dysfunctional? 0:09:03.787,0:09:05.720 And how can we work together 0:09:05.720,0:09:08.980 to overcome their[br]total infection of the system, 0:09:08.980,0:09:11.540 to ensure that we don't lose our grip 0:09:11.540,0:09:13.810 on the very principle[br]of democratic governance? 0:09:14.370,0:09:16.050 The answer, I'm afraid, 0:09:16.050,0:09:18.535 because you were born[br]into this political time, 0:09:18.834,0:09:20.710 is simply by taking over - 0:09:20.710,0:09:22.550 you have to get involved. 0:09:22.851,0:09:24.370 There's no way around it. 0:09:24.589,0:09:26.710 You have to join political organizations 0:09:26.710,0:09:30.980 in numbers large enough[br]to influence change from within. 0:09:31.305,0:09:34.400 You have to actively seek[br]to take up a leadership role 0:09:34.400,0:09:37.723 in government, in the state,[br]in the public service 0:09:37.723,0:09:42.329 and deftly but decisively move[br]its priorities to where they should be: 0:09:42.691,0:09:47.030 not in the service of people who want[br]to amass power and money for themselves, 0:09:47.030,0:09:50.650 but to better the lives[br]of the highest number of people. 0:09:51.730,0:09:53.569 There will always be government, 0:09:53.569,0:09:55.650 whether we like it or not, 0:09:55.650,0:09:57.890 whether we find it palatable or not. 0:09:58.097,0:10:00.440 But there won't always be democracy. 0:10:00.715,0:10:02.380 If we ignore politics, 0:10:02.380,0:10:05.060 the people who have been quietly[br]lobbying our governments 0:10:05.060,0:10:07.989 to prioritize development[br]ahead of democracy, 0:10:08.234,0:10:10.581 these are the people[br]who will have their way, 0:10:10.581,0:10:15.359 and the systems that we now take[br]for granted will dissolve before our eyes. 0:10:16.019,0:10:20.579 When I was campaigning in South Africa[br]last year for the 2014 general election, 0:10:20.579,0:10:23.589 the voter registration numbers[br]looked a little bit like this, 0:10:23.589,0:10:25.540 six months before the election: 0:10:25.540,0:10:29.750 23% of potential voters [br]in the 18-to-19-year-old age group 0:10:30.090,0:10:31.900 were registered to vote. 0:10:32.146,0:10:37.080 In the age group 20 to 29 years old,[br]55% were registered. 0:10:37.661,0:10:42.500 And from 30 upwards,[br]the number varied from 79 to 100%; 0:10:42.500,0:10:47.000 in fact, there were more people[br]aged 80 and over who were registered 0:10:47.000,0:10:49.969 than were in the census[br]numbers in South Africa. 0:10:50.119,0:10:51.645 Imagine that. 0:10:52.354,0:10:57.730 Fully 100% of people over a certain age 0:10:57.730,0:11:00.430 consider voting to be[br]an indispensable right, 0:11:00.430,0:11:02.130 21 years into democracy, 0:11:02.130,0:11:06.230 and do not shirk their responsibility[br]to register and turn out at the polls. 0:11:06.940,0:11:09.120 But in the 18-to-19-year-old age group - 0:11:09.498,0:11:12.510 and we must remember 19 is[br]the average age on our continent; 0:11:12.510,0:11:14.900 26 is the average age in South Africa - 0:11:14.900,0:11:17.680 the number is 23% to 55%. 0:11:17.680,0:11:20.229 What's the political economy[br]of voter apathy? 0:11:20.229,0:11:22.590 Who benefits when we stay[br]out of the system? 0:11:22.838,0:11:24.915 Who gets to keep the status quo 0:11:24.915,0:11:27.240 and empower themselves[br]and enrich themselves 0:11:27.240,0:11:31.330 and continue to infect[br]our political system like a cancer. 0:11:32.074,0:11:36.860 Who banks by us continuing[br]with the status quo? 0:11:37.590,0:11:39.779 Now even as I say all of this to you, 0:11:40.050,0:11:43.559 that your country and your continent[br]need you to enter public service, 0:11:43.559,0:11:45.479 I know that if you take up my challenge, 0:11:45.479,0:11:47.990 you're going to face[br]huge amounts of resistance - 0:11:47.990,0:11:51.779 all because of these political economies[br]that I have just described. 0:11:52.310,0:11:53.359 I did. 0:11:53.359,0:11:55.375 I was told that I was too young. 0:11:55.375,0:11:56.810 I was too female. 0:11:56.810,0:11:57.830 (Laughter) 0:11:57.830,0:12:00.890 I didn't have enough experience 0:12:01.219,0:12:04.079 though no one could define[br]what experience was enough. 0:12:04.739,0:12:08.280 I had too much of a white accent;[br]I wasn't a real African. 0:12:09.450,0:12:13.380 I straightened my hair and wore weaves;[br]I wasn't a real African. 0:12:14.040,0:12:15.050 We should be honest 0:12:15.050,0:12:18.330 about the things that hold people back[br]from entering public service - 0:12:18.330,0:12:21.620 humiliation, degradation;[br]it's not an easy road - 0:12:21.868,0:12:24.680 but all of these things[br]should illustrate to you 0:12:24.680,0:12:27.130 the extent to which[br]the status quo is designed 0:12:27.130,0:12:31.880 to enrich and empower a few[br]at the expense of the many, 0:12:32.176,0:12:36.320 and it should impart to you [br]the urgency of you, as a generation, 0:12:36.320,0:12:39.010 of now getting involved in public service 0:12:39.010,0:12:42.000 to change that very culture. 0:12:42.350,0:12:44.360 And if you decide to enter public service, 0:12:44.360,0:12:47.470 you may even be tempted to believe[br]some of these criticisms. 0:12:47.470,0:12:50.680 They're designed to keep you out;[br]that's how gatekeeping works. 0:12:50.680,0:12:52.399 Somebody is benefiting 0:12:52.399,0:12:57.230 from the absence of excellence[br]and disruption in politics and government. 0:12:57.630,0:13:00.030 But these are challenges[br]that have to be faced on. 0:13:00.030,0:13:03.740 There is no other route;[br]there is no wishing this away. 0:13:03.740,0:13:08.390 They are the reason that your country[br]and your continent need you. 0:13:10.130,0:13:13.830 We have this thing in politics in Africa;[br]it's called the "big man." 0:13:14.104,0:13:17.610 The cult of personality - we've all heard[br]different terminologies for it. 0:13:18.290,0:13:21.640 In South Africa, in particular,[br]this entails waiting for a great person 0:13:21.640,0:13:23.970 to come and save us from ourselves. 0:13:23.970,0:13:28.740 Currently, we're waiting for[br]Cyril Ramaphosa or Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma 0:13:28.740,0:13:33.370 or [inaudible] to come and save[br]South Africa from itself, 0:13:33.650,0:13:36.680 to save us from the mess [br]that we find ourselves in 0:13:36.680,0:13:39.350 that perhaps another big man put us in. 0:13:40.240,0:13:42.827 But how can a single personality[br]be held responsible 0:13:42.827,0:13:45.510 for building or for running[br]a whole nation? 0:13:45.510,0:13:47.870 And where do we turn when they fail? 0:13:48.450,0:13:52.320 If we haven't cultivated any kind[br]of pipeline of energetic, young people 0:13:52.577,0:13:55.570 who wanted to enter[br]public service now or in the future 0:13:55.570,0:13:58.080 and, critically,[br]who can do the job better, 0:13:58.080,0:13:59.918 are we doomed to always have to choose 0:13:59.918,0:14:03.480 between mediocrity and ego,[br]and mediocrity and ego? 0:14:03.480,0:14:04.577 Is that it? 0:14:04.577,0:14:06.940 Is that all our government will ever be? 0:14:07.330,0:14:12.480 Or worse: Are we going to stand by[br]while presidents change constitutions 0:14:12.480,0:14:17.080 so they can serve a third term[br]and a fourth term and a fifth term, 0:14:17.981,0:14:20.990 claiming that three million people[br]signed a petition 0:14:20.990,0:14:23.720 stating that they are the only person[br]who can do the job? 0:14:23.720,0:14:26.180 (Laughter) (Applause) 0:14:26.180,0:14:27.930 Is that what we'll do? 0:14:30.800,0:14:32.040 Now, there's a new energy 0:14:32.040,0:14:35.380 around entrepreneurism[br]and innovation and growth 0:14:35.380,0:14:36.890 in Africa today. 0:14:37.250,0:14:41.010 But that energy isn't going to translate[br]into lasting prosperity 0:14:41.010,0:14:44.220 unless we get our politics right. 0:14:44.630,0:14:47.660 Political leaders who are[br]gatekeepers of the status quo 0:14:47.825,0:14:51.590 will claim that any success[br]is their success. 0:14:51.907,0:14:53.404 They'll centralize power, 0:14:53.404,0:14:55.750 and they'll demand that we all be grateful 0:14:55.750,0:14:57.913 for those little green[br]shoots of achievement, 0:14:57.913,0:15:00.608 and then they'll claim[br]that nobody else can do the job. 0:15:00.620,0:15:05.660 They'll argue that development[br]must come first, freedom can come later, 0:15:06.480,0:15:10.350 and that they are the best[br]benevolent dictator to do the job. 0:15:11.050,0:15:15.010 They'll take your political voice from you[br]when times are a little bit good, 0:15:15.285,0:15:19.150 and when times go bad,[br]they will refuse to give it back. 0:15:20.063,0:15:22.796 There is no prosperity for our continent 0:15:22.796,0:15:28.060 without a vibrant, diverse,[br]and truly competitive politics, 0:15:28.478,0:15:33.630 founded upon excellence, transparency[br]and commitment to the public good. 0:15:34.120,0:15:36.918 Our politics will not have[br]any of these qualities 0:15:36.918,0:15:40.588 unless talented, young people,[br]the best people, 0:15:40.588,0:15:45.644 step forward at this moment[br]in Africa's history, 0:15:45.644,0:15:47.720 when we're emerging from that stereotype 0:15:47.720,0:15:51.003 of the dark continent,[br]the hopeless continent, 0:15:51.003,0:15:53.900 and commit themselves to public service. 0:15:54.480,0:15:56.350 We must run for office. 0:15:56.549,0:15:58.631 We must work in the civil service. 0:15:58.728,0:16:01.420 We must disrupt the political status quo. 0:16:01.548,0:16:04.280 We must prevent the rush to the bottom. 0:16:05.368,0:16:08.690 You really are the ones[br]that you have been waiting for. 0:16:08.988,0:16:12.640 There are no great saviors[br]waiting somewhere in the wings 0:16:12.640,0:16:15.350 to save us from future problems. 0:16:16.140,0:16:20.620 There's nobody who is waiting in the wings[br]to come and save us from ourselves; 0:16:20.620,0:16:22.060 there's just us. 0:16:22.930,0:16:25.010 And I'm not going back without you. 0:16:25.010,0:16:26.160 (Laughter) 0:16:26.160,0:16:28.330 So, will you take up the challenge? 0:16:28.330,0:16:29.350 Thank you. 0:16:29.350,0:16:31.790 (Cheers) (Applause)