By Gerald Acho, Hekima Institute of Peace Studies and International Relations (HIPSIR)
The word democracy comes from two Greek words: Demos [people] and Kratos [strength]. Put together, democracy means the strength of the people. It is a form of government in which power rests with the people, either directly, through the people [small numbers] or through representatives, chosen for a given term by ballot [this is the universal today][1]. In its idealized form, it is a form of government where power is exercised by the people and for the people. On the African continent, democracy is often categorized under two periods. What is commonly called the first wave of democracy in Africa came after the “disastrous failure of democratization efforts following political independence in the 1960s”[2] and the second wave of democracy emerged in 1990s with the introduction of multiparty democracy. What is common among these two waves of democracy in Africa has been its appropriation as a goal and tool by western policy agendas.
In Africa, democracy has become a horror movie where most citizens are unable to look at the movie consistently; and even after the movie is over, they keep having sleepless nights because of fright. As citizens have no idea where the boat of democracy is taking them, they find themselves in a state of limbo, not knowing what best form of governance to believe in. More than ever before, many Africans on the continent are confronted with the single challenge of what is the best system of government. The majoritarian democracy as practiced in Africa appears to evidently be failing. Across the continent, dictators such as Paul Biya in Cameroon, are killing their own people. While Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe was trying to make his wife the vice president in Zimbabwe with the hope of succeeding him. He was forced out of power with the hope that Zimbabwe could start a new political era. In the DRC, Joseph Kabila has refused to conduct elections after his constitutional two terms were over. In Uganda, Yoweri Museveni is still trying to confuse institutions to suit his personal interest. And the list goes on and on.
Democracy is often defined as a form of government in which power rests with the people, either directly or indirectly, through the people’s representatives chosen for a given term by ballot. With some nuances, this way of governing seems to be a universal norm today[3]. It is a form of government where power is exercised by the people and for the people. In Africa, the reality is different as power has been removed from the people and given to the leaders alone. The latter tend to be in charge of everything and the former are left with little or nothing. Sammy Rutto and George Njoroge argue in their work The Democratization Process in Africa that “the state in Africa as we have it today is a creation of colonialism.” Unfortunately, this colonial state framework of governance was never democratic as it was more authoritarian and despotic. It is sad to witness the maintenance of the status quo after independence (50 years or more). Mahmood Mamdani in his book Citizen and Subject: Contemporary Africa and the Legacy of Late Colonialism argued that “the major impediments to democracy and democratization in Africa are to be located in that part of the institutional legacy of colonial domination associated with indirect rule and the operations of the Native authority system.” This colonial system according to him created what he calls “decentralized despotism” and this continued after independence with what he refers to as conservative states which continued to suppress the “democratic potential of peasant movements.” In Africa, democracy will only develop and grow if and only if the experiences, cultures, and social life of the African people are taken into consideration. This is simply because, it is from the experiences, cultures and social life of the people that their world view develops. Reasoning in this same light, the Cameroonian sociologists, philosopher and theologian Jean-Marc Ela in his book My Faith as an African asserted that if we view the world as a book whose meaning must be read and decoded, we must always remember to interpret the signs around us in terms of our own humanity and our cultures and tradition[4]. As such democracy in Africa must follow this trajectory if it is to make meaning to the people.
Commenting on sub-Saharan regime transition from monarchies to democracies, Michael Bratton and Nicholas Van Valle argued that this transition takes “one step forward [and] two steps backward.” For them, it was “an abandonment of Afrophilia to gloomy Afro-pessimism;” from the love of Africa to a gloomy and pessimistic outlook of it.” In this line, Paul Collier argued that what took place in Africa in the 1990s was not the spread of democracy but rather the spread of elections[5]. When multiparty democracy was introduced to the Africans, it was thought to be a “political renewal” and a “second liberation from authoritarian regimes[6]. Sooner or later, a backlash will follow in the wake of disputed elections as we’ve seen in places like Kenya. The lament now is: how can democracy, marked by a high multiparty competitive atmosphere, grow successfully under the conditions of ethnic fragmentations and elite corruption. Is majoritarian democracy a utopia for Africa? These lingering questions explain why the aforementioned authors conclude that most democratic systems in African boil down to authoritarian rule[7].
Given that many African traditional societies have a history of subservience to the chief and decisions through consensus, it could be that democracy is a farfetched concept to be practical in Africa. Little wonder, Patrick Brima Kapuwa, a Sierra Leonean Doctoral Research Candidate at the Institute of International Studies (Jilin University in China) laments, “is Africa underdeveloped because it is primarily undemocratic? Or maybe Africa is undemocratic because primarily underdeveloped?” He says that Africa is not only under-developed but also insecure today because of the aggressive desires of the West to democratize nation states at all cost. He concludes (and I agree with him) that in as much as one may be inclined to accept any improved form of democracy or representative governance, such attempts should be tuned to the challenging demands and dynamics of what characterizes the African political system before the importation of Western form of democracy in Africa. Considerable attention should be given to indigenous political institutions and the cultural practices of the people[8].
Democratic rule in Africa contradicts its essential principle of safeguarding the fundamental rights of people. There are some basic, fundamental ingredients of democracy which every country or state that claims to be democratic must possess. I believe these are still found wanting in Africa. In the first place, Namedi Azikewe says “that democracy must include a recognized opposition” without which “democracy becomes a sham.” Others, he insists, are the rule of law and the enforcement of fundamental human rights. In this light, democracy is founded on the respect for the human person. This is one aspect among many which African states lack. It is not only about racial equality but the fundamental human right to life.
Though with all the challenges facing democracy in the continent, the system of government has remained as the preferred option because there is no plausible alternative. Democratic rule is not foreign to Africa, but rather liberal democracy or what African scholars like Kwasi Wiredu will call majoritarian democracy is foreign to Africa. There is a need to push for democratic accountability on the continent where leaders will be accountable for their citizens who elected them. I strongly believe that democracy will only remain a nightmare for Africans as long as the concept is regarded as imported. The practice and implementation of democracy in Africa must take into considerations the history of the continent (slave trade and colonialism), the culture of the people, their experiences and way of life. If these considerations are made, democracy may be viewed less as an imported concept and more as an idea of the people. Exploring participatory democracy or what Wiredu calls “consensus democracy” could also be a solution to the perceived “African democratic crisis.”
[1] G. Vesey – P. Foulkes, Collins Dictionary of Philosophy, 76.
[2] Southall Roger, Democracy in Africa: Moving Beyond a Difficult Legacy (Cape Town: HSRC Publisher, 2003), 1.
[3] G. Vesey – P. Foulkes, Collins Dictionary of Philosophy, 76.
[4] Ela Jean-Marc, My Faith as an African (New York: Orbis Books, 1988), 40.
[5] Collier Paul, War, Guns and Votes: Democracy in Dangerous Places (London: The Bodley Head, 2009), 15.
[6] M. Bratton-N. Van Valle, Democratic Experiments in Africa, 97.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Patrick Brima Kapuwa, M.A International Relations Student, Jilin University, Changchun, China.
Featured image: Kenyan presidential candidate Raila Odinga speaking at a rally in October 2017. Photo: Andrew Renneisen / Getty Images
That is just it. Africans had a government before colonialism, this took into account our cultural realities and society was successful. Africa has a civilization, Europeans did not discover or start Africa so why should do they import their ways into Africa?… Any form of governance that does not take into consideration African history and culture, is bound to fail. We got to learn from Asian countries.
Words of a lay man.