Seven voices. Three countries. Different generations. 

“I appeared before courts 13 different times to prove something that should have never needed proving: that political participation is not terrorism.” – Wanjiku Thiga

This is one of the voices in We Shall Lead: Voices Shaping the Future of Africa, a new documentary filmed across Kenya, Uganda and Ghana in 2026. It follows women and young political leaders who reached the point where watching from the sidelines was no longer enough. The film was produced within WYDE Political Parties, an EU-funded initiative led by the European Network of Political Foundations (ENoP), in which Green Forum is a partner.

For most of them, it started small and close to home. A girl at a village well, told that the boys should get their water first because they are boys. A young woman watching an elected official throw cheques at women who had come for support. A child hearing about “the pleader”, the one who speaks for others, and deciding to become one. A daughter watching her mother struggle, and refusing to accept that this was just how things are.

So they stepped in. They ran for class rep, youth chair and student president, and later for office. They chose to work inside political institutions, where decisions are made.

The film also doesn’t look away from what that choice can cost. There are arrests, abductions, threats and humiliation. There are mothers begging their children to walk away. There are moments of real doubt: is it worth it? Is this the price? And there are wounds that don’t disappear when the headlines move on.

Hon. Dr. Miria Matembe knows that cost too. As Uganda’s Minister of Ethics and Integrity, she refused to support the removal of presidential term limits, and was pushed out of government for it. Today she still asks: “Have I died? I’m still here.”

Above all, We Shall Lead is a film about hope. About a young woman crying with joy after winning her first election, because she had proven to herself that she could. About Wanjiku Thiga, who, after 13 court appearances, can say: “Today I stand before you smiling. I lead. I organise. I inspire.” And about the generations who opened the way, like Matembe, whose work helped make women “visible at last” and “audible at last”.

It is also a film about organising and about bridges between generations, with mentors who walk alongside the next generation and elders who open doors rather than act as a ceiling. And it is about a generation that is no longer waiting for permission to lead. As they remind each other every morning: get up, dress up and show up. Young people are not the leaders of tomorrow; they are the leaders of today.

Together with our partners, we work with young politicians and women who make this choice every day, often under difficult and risky conditions. This film shows why that work matters, how much courage it takes, and how democracy is renewed by every generation that chooses to take part in it.

Watch it and talk about it

▶ Watch We Shall Lead

Short on time? Start with the 1.5-minute trailer:

More than a film, We Shall Lead is an invitation to reflect, discuss and act. When you’ve watched it, ask yourself, or the people you watch it with: which story stayed with you the most, and why? What does it take to keep going when the cost is this high? And what would it take for more women and young people to make that choice where you live?

Want to host a screening with your organisation, party or network? Contact us at info@greenforum.se and we’ll send you the screening toolkit, with event formats and discussion questions for different audiences.

Featured voices

Hon. Dr. Miria Matembe, Former Member of Parliament and Minister of Ethics and Integrity in the Government of Uganda, and founding member of the Pan-African Parliament
Shamim Kavuma, Youth political organiser and gender advocate, National Resistance Movement (NRM), Uganda
Wanjiku Thiga, National Youth Leader, Democracy for the Citizens Party, Kenya
Angel Mbuthia, National Youth Chairperson, Jubilee Party, Kenya
Bernard William, Candidate to Senator, UGM Party Co-Secretary General, Mombasa County, Kenya
Rashid Ibrahim, Former President, National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS)
Hariratah Ibrahim Doudu, Vice President of the Student Representative Council, Ghana School of Law

Film information

Title: We Shall Lead
Subtitle: Voices Shaping the Future of Africa
Countries: Kenya · Uganda · Ghana
Year: 2026
Language: English
Duration: 46 minutes
A documentary by: WYDE Political Parties
Led by: European Network of Political Foundations (ENoP)
Produced by: CAD Productions
With the support of: Green Forum, KEPHRA, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) and the Christian Democratic International Center (KIC)
Powered by: European Union

This film was funded by the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of the European Network of Political Foundations (ENoP), while the views and opinions expressed by the individuals featured in the film are their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.