Consolidating The Democracy Project In Africa

In this issue we discuss the major challenges to the democracy project in Africa, using South Africa, Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Somalia as case studies. We pose some key questions: Are the current efforts at instituting liberal democracy and its ethos in Africa sustainable? What are the challenges facing the democracy project in Africa? How are they being negotiated? And what are the implications of all these for the fate of the democracy project itself, and for Africa's development aspirations? In an overview paper, Usman Tar discusses some of the major challenges in instituting and sustaining the democracy project in Africa, noting that in the continent, "state structures remain weak and prone to elite manipulation and abuse." He also notes that "state-society relations are erratic and contemptuous because the state is commonly perceived as serving the narrow interest of its governing elites." Dirk Kotze examines the democratic consolidation process in South Africa, arguing that the "unique nature of South Africa's democratisation is not its content but its process." Usman Tar sees Nigeria, especially after the acrimonious April 2007 elections, as being something of a paradox, having on the one hand "a plethora of factors and institutions that are potentially conducive to the construction of democracy" and on the other hand exhibiting the typical features of a failing 'peripheral' state, including operating "one of the least stable federal and presidential democratic systems in the world." Peter F. Z. Zaizay looks at security sector reform and the fight against crime and disorder in Liberia, noting that demobilised soldiers, left largely unemployed, pose a real threat not only to the democracy project in the country but also to its, peace, security and prosperity. T. Debey Sayndee discusses the post-conflict challenges in Liberia, arguing that the current scramble for the "public space by all age groups and gender" can be considered an essential recipe for building a democratic culture" in that country, and should therefore be harnessed in the rebuilding process. Mats Utas analyses the recent elections in Sierra Leone, which was won by the opposition APC, and where many voters did a "watermelon" by taking shirts and money from the ruling SLPP, while voting for APC. Abdurahman Abdullahi examines how Somali women achieved political empowerment in Somalia between 2000 and 2003 (they were "offered a quota of 11% in the Transitional Parliament of 2000") and argues that the move was a "remarkable milestone that is unprecedented in Somalia." He believes that such a gesture in a patriarchal Islamic country that is torn by inter-clan feuds, contains within it the seed of hope for the democracy project in the country. In addition to the above articles, we also brought a number of other articles, from how to reposition family planning to reduce unmet needs to a discussion of the politics of resistance to dictatorship in Nurudin Farah's novel. Adonis & Abbey Publishers opens Nigerian office After two years of trying to find a way of creating a presence in Nigeria, we have finally opened an office/bookshop in Lagos. Please visit us at 35A Bode Thomas, Surulere, Lagos (Telephone: +234 (0) 1895 0040"

This title was first published in 2000: The continent of Africa is undergoing great change. While on the one hand there is talk of a re-awakening of Africa or Renaissance various countries in Africa are still plagued by poverty, intra- and interstate violence. In some countries the legacy of neo-colonialism and under development contributed to social strife and the potential criminalization of the State. This book addresses the topic of democratization and sustainable democracy in Africa against this background.

What conditions motivate a transition to democracy? Can the dynamics of a transition influence its outcome? Under what circumstances has democracy been consolidated in Africa? This trilogy of questions has become necessary in light of the current democratic wave engulfing Africa and the rest of the world. In examining the conditions that initiate democratic transitions, this book investigates the circumstances under which democracy movements have operated between 1980 and 1990. It concludes that, contrary to dominant democratic theory, the transitions to democracy in Africa have occurred under declining levels of development. With regard to transitions, the book recognizes that they have their own dynamics. Two main types of transitions are discerned: top-down and bottom-up. The book argues that in spite of the restrictive nature of top-down transitions, they offer a better opportunity for democratic consolidation because of the consensus between elites of the pro-democracy regime and their counterparts in the authoritarian regime, a condition that is normally absent under bottom-up transitions. Finally, relying on the cases of consolidated democracies, the book derives an African democracy model. The model delineates five main conditions that facilitate democratic consolidation, including good leadership, relevant political institutions, external support, civic space, and a reasonable level of development. It cautions, however, that these are not sufficient conditions, nor are all of them necessary. Since countries have unique historical circumstances, specific countries will have to combine conditions in the model that are relevant to that society to consolidate its democracy. The right combination will depend on the specific needs of the individual country.

Sub-Saharan Africa is experiencing an impressive measure of economic revivalism that is driven by both national and international forces at the beginning of the twenty-first century. That political and business leaders in the region are determined that development in this millennium will not mimic the slow pace of growth in the twentieth is a given. Undoubtedly, the rapid spread of information communications technology (ICT) and contemporary investments of China in the region’s growth agenda bear this thesis out. This book, among other things, advances the theory that improving human rights practices and the democracy project—i.e. democratic consolidation in sub-Saharan Africa will create an enabling environment that is critical for stimulating the current inspiring development objectives.

This Discussion Paper is based on a conceptual and analytical reading of cases of unconstitutional change of government in Africa. It provides a deep and up-to-date exploration of the prospects for democratic consolidation on the continent against the backdrop of an upsurge in unconstitutional changes of government. Rather than focus only on the internal threats to democracy in Africa, the author also analyses the role of neighbouring states, regional organisations and hegemonic forces within the international community in advancing or limiting democracy. In this regard, this work sheds light on why the pursuit of the liberal democratic project in Africa has so far appeared to alienate ordinary people, while providing space for dominant elites to tamper with democratic institutions and processes, which then work against popular participation and democratic development. This paper is essential reading for scholars, policy practitioners, analysts and all those with an interest in the prospects for democracy in Africa.

"The country-specific chapters serve to underline the differences between African democracy and liberal democracy, yet some authors are at pains to emphasize that whatever their limitations, African democracies are an advance over what had gone before." -- African Studies Review

This book provides the first comprehensive overview of Africa's history of democracy, grappling with important questions facing Africa today.