Soro Soke: The Young Disruptors of an African Megacity

Trish Lorenz

May 2022 · Cambridge University Press

About this ebook

For the first time in human history, people aged over 65 now outnumber children under five. Yet one region in the world is bucking this trend: the world's top 20 youngest countries by population are all located in sub-Saharan Africa, and Africa's population under 35 now equals almost a billion people. Whilst there has been much research and reportage in the West around the lives of millennials and Gen Z, little has been written on the dreams and aspirations, the fears and hopes, the needs and desires of young Africans. The Yoruba expression Soro Soke, meaning “Speak Up”, has become a clarion call for young Nigerians seeking to make their voices heard, resonating across the African continent and around the world via social media. Trish Lorenz speaks to the bright new entrepreneurs, artists, and activists of Lagos and Abuja, Nigeria, to understand what it means to be young in an otherwise ageing world. This book is also available Open Access.

Ratings and reviews

If you’re planning to read this book - don’t. This book is a slap in the face of every struggling Nigerian. This thieving white woman thought she could get away with attempting to capitalize off our pain, but she thought wrong. She’s going to see the red eye of this soro soke generation. Onye nzuzu.

Not only does this white author attempt to speak on a struggle she's not a part of and attempts to make profit off the Nigerian youth's struggle, but she audaciously claims she named the "soro soke generation". She did not.

This is STEALING. This is ridiculous and disrespectful to the struggle of these young Nigerians. The author is a thief (permit me to use the word). You can't give yourself credits for what you know nothing about. Do not download or buy the book.

About the author

Trish Lorenz has been a journalist for more than 15 years. She is a regular contributor to titles including The Guardian, The Financial Times, and The Telegraph, among others. Formerly a design columnist at The Independent and the Lisbon correspondent for Monocle magazine, she covers subjects ranging from design, art and culture to travel, politics and human interest pieces from around the world.