Rethinking African Democracy
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RETHINKING
AFRICAN DEMOCRACY
Claude Ake
Claude Ake, a Nigerian political economist, is currently a visiting fellow
at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. Formerly professor of
political science and dean of the faculty of social sciences at the
University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, he has served as president of the
Nigerian Political Science Association and of the Council for
Development of Economic and Social Research in Africa (CODESRIA).
He is the author of numerous books and articles on politics and political
economy in Africa.
Issues of democratization and human rights are increasingly dominating
the world's interest in Africa, overcoming a legacy of indifference to the
fate of democracy on the continent. This legacy has its roots in the
colonial era, when political discourse excluded not only democracy but
even the idea of good government, and politics was reduced to the clash
of one exclusive claim to power against another.
This attitude persisted even after Africa gained political independence.
By deciding to take over the colonial system instead of transforming it
in accord with popular nationalist aspirations, most African leaders found
themselves on a collision course with their people. Faced with this
challenge to their newly won power, they opted for development, using
it largely as an ideological blind. Resisting pressures for structural
transformation and redistribution, they claimed that the overriding priority
for Africa must be to seek development-the cake had to be baked
before it could be shared. To discourage opposition and perpetuate their
power, they argued that the problems of development demanded complete
unity of purpose, justifying on these grounds the criminalization of
political dissent and the inexorable march to political monolithism.
The rest of the world heartily encouraged these political tendencies.
Africa's former colonial masters, anxious for leverage with the new
leaders, embraced the idea of partnership in development and gave these
regimes their indulgent support. The great powers ignored human rights
Journal of Democracy Vol.2, No.] Winter 1991](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.journals/jnlodmcy2&div=7&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)
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Rethinking African Democracy
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