AFRICAN DEMOCRACY? FACT OR FICTION?
- MJKG
- Feb 11
- 4 min read
Have you ever wondered why despite Afrika's vast landscape, we watch our resources flow outward while poverty flows inward? From the diamond mines of Congo to the oil fields of Nigeria, from the agricultural richness of Zimbabwe to the gold reserves of Ghana. Our continent holds enough wealth to sustain itself in isolation, yet here we stand questioning the very system of governance that was meant to ensure our prosperity. Our unique character as a people should warrant a unique style of governance, yet time and time again, we blindly follow the West.
Governance before colonialism
Before the arrival of colonial powers, African societies had developed sophisticated systems of governance that reflected their values and met their unique needs. In Nigeria, for instance, the Igbo people practiced a form of participatory democracy through the village assembly system, where decisions were made by consensus and power was decentralized. The Hausa-Fulani, in contrast, maintained elaborate administrative structures with clear chains of command. These systems, while not perfect, emerged from African culture and social needs.
Then came Western Democracy
The colonizers exploited these existing structures, turning traditional leaders into instruments of indirect rule. They didn't destroy our systems outright however they corrupted them from within, using our own leaders against us. When they finally ‘granted’ us independence, they handed over a system that wore the mask of democracy while maintaining their economic interests.
The implementation of Western democratic systems in Africa came with hidden costs. As Walter Rodney explains in "How Europe Underdeveloped Africa," post-colonial 'democratic' systems were specially designed to maintain European economic control.[1] These systems required expensive parliaments, bureaucracies, and other formal institutions, all of which demanded funding far beyond what African nations could generate internally. The result? A crushing cycle of dependency. Nigeria, Ghana, and South Africa's external debts now range from $31 to $164 million, built upon the shaky foundations of imported democracy.[2]
Our political leaders, whom we voted for through this imposed system often misappropriate national funds, then seek external loans, default on payments, and repeat the cycle. Now, some will say, ‘Western systems aren’t to blame for corrupt leaders in African Nations because the system works for the West’ and to that I say: you can't steal what isn't there to be stolen. The system itself was designed to perpetuate dependency. Western nations continue to approve loans because they know Africa's natural resources—our gold, oil, and precious minerals—serve as unofficial collateral.[3] It's a perfect trap, wrapped in the pretty package of 'democracy'. There certainly can’t be a world without corrupt people, however Western Democracy did not stem from African Soil, so it became fertile ground for stealing, corruption, and an unimaginable depth of nepotism.[4]
One might ask why African Nations simply did not reject the western style of governance after independence? The answer lies in a complex web of post-colonial entanglements. Colonial powers had created artificial borders that divided and grouped different ethnic groups together, they educated the elite class in western ways of governing, threatened to withdraw economic support if the systems weren’t maintained, provided protection against external conflicts, and threatened military interventions for nations that strayed too far from Western models. The cost of completely rejecting these systems seemed too high, the risks too great, and the alternatives too uncertain.
Why are we questioning Western Democracy?
The West's democratic system functions within their context because it grew from their soil. Even there, variations exist. The United Kingdom maintains its monarchy alongside parliamentary democracy while China has adopted a socialist one-party system centred on centralized governance. South Korea has embraced a system of democratic republicanism with a presidential framework, while the North of Korea has opted for something entirely different.The USA has a federal constitutional republic with a presidential system.
Yet when Afrika contemplates deviation from Western democratic models, and we mean the one form of democracy that was imposed on us – the Westminster parliamentary democracy - why do we hesitate? Is it fear, international pressure, economic threats, or the shadow of military intervention, or have we been so thoroughly convinced that Western democracy is the only legitimate form of governance that we’ve lost the courage to imagine alternatives? Western Democracy clearly does not function properly in African Nations because of our values, priorities, religious beliefs, cultural norms, societal expectations and the nature of being African. The rigid imposition of term limits often clashes with indigenous leadership structures, corruption thrives when Western-style campaign financing meets extended family obligations and winner-takes-all elections which deepen ethnic divisions. These are but a few concerns with the Western style of democracy.
Then I'd ponder what would governance truly built on African values look like? Is an alternative style better for us, or are we just lagging behind in the race against the West?
References
[1] Rodney, Walter. How Europe Underdeveloped Africa. Bogle-L'Ouverture Publications, 1972.
[2] External Debt in Africa. Accessed 5th January 2025. https://tradingeconomics.com/country-list/external-debt?continent=africa
[3] Western style ‘democracy’ in Africa is just a way of pushing the neoliberal agenda. Accessed 29th January 2025. https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/oureconomy/western-style-democracy-in-africa-is-just-a-way-of-pushing-the-neoliberal-agenda/
[4] Embracing home grown Democracy: Why Western Democracy Might Not Work In Africa. Accessed 11th February 2025. https://acgemafrica.org/research/
~Maryam J-K Gadzama, Chief Editor 24/25 Committee
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