Power & Control in Africa: Democracy & Civic Engagement

The theories of power underpin pluralism – power is distributed, élitism – power is concentrated and Marxism – class conflict and economic power. Outside this, African nations have experienced multiple coup d’états, corruption and plunder, structural adjustment programs and rising ethnic tensions characterized much of Africa and tendencies that interact causally. The forces of terror, mercenaries, arms and narco-traffickers and smugglers have descended in countries in conflict, fanning the flames of war, and profiteering from the destruction of the lives of children and women.
Africa has experienced multiple elections since the 1990s. Elections were relatively free and fair in 23 African countries. In others, all almost all are uncontested single party rule. There is no simple or immediate identification of democratic transition problems as they actually are; there is only a definition of them from a certain perspective and towards a certain resolution. Recognition of this fact would represent a significant improvement in Africa’s democratic consciousness and practice. What are important in the politics of democratization are not so much the problems of transition themselves as what various, competing groups conceive them to be, in comparison to how the organizations settle their conceptual differences.
What is presented in this study represents an analytical endeavor in an effort to identify opportunities for the evolution of pluralist political culture in Africa. These include na?ve realism in the articulation of democratic systems, ambiguity as to whether civil society is the agent or object of democratic change and sustaining livelihoods, the stress on institutional perspectives on pluralism and inadequate treatment of the role of foreign agencies. The lecture concludes by submitting the impediments for sustaining livelihoods and the consolidation of democracy to build democratic rules and institutions.

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