Democratic traditions in pre-colonial and post-independence Africa

Africa - Politics

Africa and democracy haven't always been two words that go together well, because following the colonization of much of Africa, democracies were established but they struggled (and sometimes failed) to become stable -- and many continue to struggle today. This paper reviews the democratic movements in Africa, some of which failed, and some have succeeded. This paper also projects the success or failure of future democracies in Africa.

What are the primary characteristics for the existence of a democracy?

A democracy is far more than just the establishment of government institutions and the setting up of a constitution. It is more than just a set of values, rules, laws, and the election of the people who are sworn to uphold those values, rules, and laws. According to the U.S. Department of State, a democracy is a government in which "…power and civic responsibility are exercised by all adult citizens" (State). The power in a democracy can be exercised either directly, or by elected representatives whose elections took place in a free and open environment.

A democracy is based on "the principles of majority rule and individual rights," and moreover, those leaders in a democracy must constantly be cognizant of the rights of citizens to enjoy free speech and freedom of religion (State). There should be "equal protection under the law" for the citizens, and the citizens should have the un-hindered opportunity to organize into political parties and become fully enfranchised into the "political, economic and cultural life of the society" (State).

Besides their rights under a democratic form of government, citizens must also accept the responsibility to fully participate in the political system that is what actually protects all the rights they have been accorded in their legal constitution. Also, in a democratic society there is generally a series of private institutions and organizations, offering a diversity of opportunities for those citizens that wish to get involved; this is called "pluralism" (State).

Why were African countries at independence mostly democracies?

Professor Apollos O. Nwauwa (Kent State University) points out that Western democracies (America and Western Europe) have viewed democracy as though it is exclusively a product of their societies. Also, the bias in the West toward Africa has led to the belief that Africans are "incapable of democratic thoughts" and that democratic values and practices are "alien to the African continent" (Nwauwa, p. 2). However, the facts show a different side to the issue, Nwauwa asserts.

What has been "consistently ignored is that democratic values and processes have been as indigenous to Africans as they were to ancient Greeks" (Nwauwa, pp. 2-3). Indeed, traditional African political cultures did practice democratic values, and though they didn't necessarily resemble Western democracies, in pre-colonial Africa "…everybody participated according to his ability, ages-status, and wishes…everybody was invited to offer the cooking of his mind" (Nwauwa, p. 6). Hence, the answer to the question is that because African countries were generally speaking participating in democratic values prior to colonization, they logically attempted to return to those values.

List African countries that were democracies but are now dictatorships

At the time that many African countries became independent from the European colonial control, "…every African nation had a democratic system in place," and many elected leaders of those countries "turned their country into one party states through constitutional amendments, became autocratic" and used police force to keep resistance at bay (Dibie, 2001). This is not to say that a single party ruler can't also have democratic policies, but generally a dictator will have one party and that party is ruled by him.

Ghana is an example of what has happened to many African countries, Dibie writes in his book The Politics and Policies of Sub-Saharan Africa. The first president after colonization was Kwame Nkruman, and he "appropriated power" and had the constitution changed into a one-party system with him as party leader (Dibie, 30). He was soon a dictator, but was overthrown by a military coup, and then another military coup came into power. But eventually, as mentioned earlier in this paper, democracy ruled Ghana. Mauritius was a dictatorship and has become a well-recognized democracy. In fact the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) lists Mauritius as the only "Full Democracy" in Africa (afdb.org).

Which of these countries is most likely to retain democracy -- and why?

It is likely that Ghana and Mauritius will retain democratic rule. Both countries have gone through a lot and have always come back to a point where the citizens demanded that the system be accountable to their needs. Ghana has been stable now for several years, and so has Mauritius, so when citizens get comfortable with a democratic system, and a generation or two goes through the democratic policies, that society doesn't want to give up what it has achieved.

What explains the new wave of democracy in African since 1990? Does the democratic trend hold the promise of staying power?

According to the African Development Bank, even though some of the elections over the past twenty years in Africa have resulted in "authoritarian regimes," other elections have elected democratic leaders. The popularity of democracy is sometimes tied to "economic recovery"; in Sierra Leone, for example, the third successful election in 2012 has helped to continue the "current momentum of foreign investment in extractive resources"(afdb). In other words, when democracy brings a strong economy, and boosts the middle class, this gives the idea to other nations that don't yet have democracy to move to action.

In conclusion, as to the staying power of these African democracies, there is no assurance at all that they will continue to embrace democratic values. But with support from Western nations, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and other sources, once a country has built a solid economy, and most people are benefitting, there can be staying power. But once the economy falters, insurgent groups (and others) can foil the attempt to stay a democracy.