Democracy for Breakfast: Unveiling Mirage Democracy in Contemporary Africa

Chapter 8 - Toward an African Democracy?

315 Chapter 8 Toward an African Democracy? Overview In the 1970s and 1980s, what the political scientist Samuel Huntington called the “third wave” of global democratization led to breathtaking political changes in Latin America, parts of Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and eventually Eastern Europe. Freedom was on the march almost everywhere—except for the Middle East. As popular jubilations swept across Africa in the 1990s, many policymakers and analysts were hopeful that pro-democracy movements would usher in a new era for the continent. The initial results of the jubilations were indeed inspiring. But, since then, the prospects for further democratization have dimmed. In the wake of the pro-democracy earthquakes, many local regimes remained weak and unable to establish true law and order. The demise of African authoritarianism may come eventually. But there is little reason to think that day is near, and even less reason to think that the United States and its Western allies can significantly increase its chances of happening. The United States and its allies seek to protect their vital strategic interests in Africa—balancing against rogue/failed states, ensuring access to energy resources, land grabs and raw materials and countering violent extremists. Achieving these goals will require working with some authoritarian governments and accepting Africa for what it is today. A democracy culturally sensitive to African realities, not the interest of Western corporate capital, is the only solution. Introduction Members of the Africa Faith and Justice Network (AFJN) adopted the following principles regarding democracy in Africa at their annual meeting in Washington, D.C., in October 1993 (excerpts): x “Africans need to define for themselves the meaning of democracy in their own historical and cultural contexts, drawing on 316 their participatory traditions and the experience of democratic societies elsewhere.” x “Free-market capitalism and multi-party systems are not synonymous with democracy.” x “Grassroots popular movements offer new hope for truly democratic structures in Africa.” x “Respect for human, social, and economic rights as well as civil rights is essential if democracy is to take hold in Africa, for democracy cannot survive in a context of stark polarization between rich and poor.” x “Economic development and an equitable distribution of resources must go hand-in-hand with the emergence of more democratic structures.” x “In brokering negotiations between contending parties, the Church must speak on behalf of the poor and marginated.” AFJN committed itself to support the move toward democracy in Africa by: x “Listening to and giving voice to African peoples in our common struggle for democracy.” x “Supporting networks between Africans and with North Americans in their struggle for justice in Africa.” x “Working with others to influence U.S. legislative initiatives supportive of African-defined democratic structures.” x “Fostering reflection on and articulation of a theology of democracy within the context of African countries.” Most Africans are increasingly realizing that the Western model of political democracy is extremely too narrow and even alien to African cultures. “Democracy is not merely the right to vote and seize power,” the Rev. Jose Belo Chipenda, General Secretary, All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) said. “It is about a whole complex of rights and duties which citizens must exercise if a government is to be open, accountable, and participatory.” Africans like Chipenda find that Western-style democracy “places people into artificial antagonistic boxes, turns friends into enemies, and aims at arousing unnecessary competition.” (See excerpts from Chipenda’s speech to the AACC’s 119th General Assembly. But there are many illusions to be dispelled 317 to enable the evolution of African democracy, one that is culturally sensitive to the continent’s heritage and history. Dispelling Globalization’s Illusions Talking about African democracy challenges scholars to take a hard look at political institutions and philosophies that are too often taken for granted as the way-things-must-be in the continent. Historical democracy has never been part of capitalism. There is no organic or pre- given link between democracy and capitalism. In fact, modern democracy grew out of popular struggles alongside the development of capitalism. This is the case particularly in South Africa as well. Apartheid capitalism never gave South Africans democracy. Rather, the South African people (the workers and the poor peasants) struggled for it, losing life and limb. It is a product of sacrifice, of human will and a passion for liberation from oppression. Their democracy is precious because it is essentially...