Tradition and Politics: Indigenous Political Structures in Africa (review)

Tradition and Politics: Indigenous Political Structures in Africa is a collection of papers from an international conference on indigenous political structures and governance in Africa held in Ibadan, Nigeria, in 2001. The premise is that the role of indigenous political structures in the governance and politics of the postcolonial African state has been neglected by scholars since African independence. However, the resilience of these structures makes it necessary for scholars to conduct critical interdisciplinary inquiry into the significance of these institutions.

Many of the articles address some aspect of the interplay between traditional structures and the modern state. The potential of traditional structures to contribute to democracy and development in modern Africa emerges as a major concern in the introduction. In the two theoretical chapters, Richard Sklar is relatively optimistic about the outcome of the incorporation of elements of traditional and modern dimensions of political authority and identity, while Pierre Englebert finds the prospect for building more democracy and development from the interplay of traditional and modern institutions hard to assess and varying across Africa.

The rest of the book consists of a series of case studies divided by region. Other themes emerge in these chapters; especially prominent is the importance of the relationship between the chieftaincy and the people for future democratization and development. Barbara Omen finds that in the Sekhunkhune area of South Africa, the dialogue between the rulers and the ruled determines the particular role the traditional rulers play relative to the state. Olufemi Vaughn suggests that the conflicts of the Tswana chiefs with government authorities in Botswana reflect increasing distance between urban and rural populations and inherent contradictions between state and society.

For East Africa, John Abbink asserts that the chiefs in southern Ethiopia could play a role in reinserting the local populations into national politics. In a more negative assessment, however, Kidane Mengisteab finds that traditional institutions in Eritrea have not advanced the development of democratic government because Eritrea has established a one-party dictatorship that is incompatible with the country’s traditional institutions. In regard to West Africa, Abdul Mustafa and Emily Jones examine three communities in Ghana and Nigeria and identify chieftaincy as located at the juncture of many forces, thus making it possible for chiefly institutions to provide effective connections between the people and government and sometimes to play a role in development. In a study of northwest Cameroon, Nicodemus Awasom concludes that the loyalty of the people shifted away from the traditional rulers because of globalization and multipartyism, but efforts are under way to rehabilitate the relationship between the rulers and the ruled.

Overall, this is a fine collection of well-crafted essays that addresses an important but somewhat neglected topic. It provides an excellent exposure to the multiple and complex issues surrounding the role of traditional political institutions in modern African political systems. However, the volume might have been improved if it were somewhat shorter, as a few of the essays appear to have a less than direct bearing on the general topic.