Street youth as human billboards – a paradox of performed street citizenship: Novel political participation by street youth in Ghana

Examining experiences of street youth in Accra, Ghana, this chapter explores novel political participation whereby street youth engage in national elections by bodypainting in political colours and performing as human billboards for financial gain. We ask if these embodied performances are symbolic of disempowerment or indicative of a street citizenship status, as street youth disrupt the norms of political engagement and use their agency as street citizens, rather than formal citizens, to perform political engagement for their own economic gain. We conclude that this performance of citizenship is a paradox; regardless of their formal disenfranchisement, street youth are affective citizens who engage in the political landscape in novel but valid ways.