amaeshi1_Loic Seigland Getty Images_3Dafricamap

Décolonialiser l’étude des pays africains

Nov 27, 2019 Kenneth Amaeshi

ÉDIMBOURG – Les observations et recherches théoriques autour des différents États africains aboutissent à un tableau contrasté. Que les conclusions soient encourageantes ou peu réjouissantes, elles tendent néanmoins à partager la même approche anhistorique.

L’Afrique d’aujourd’hui est en grande partie un produit du colonialisme, et quel que soit l’axe abordé – économie, politique, religion ou géographie – l’empreinte de ce colonialisme s’observe. C’est ce qu’illustre par exemple la pratique de la démocratie en Afrique. Malgré toutes ses promesses, la gouvernance démocratique peine à produire des résultats dans la plupart des pays africains.

Parmi les raisons à cela, la démocratie repose sur des principes (liberté, individualisme, solidarité, égalité) qui peuvent revêtir des significations diverses selon les différents contextes. Les préférences, valeurs et convictions intégrées tendent à façonner les pratiques et politiques via lesquelles la démocratie elle-même est appliquée. Ainsi, en tant qu’ensemble incarné de pratiques et de politiques, la démocratie peut être assimilée à une technologie.

We hope you're enjoying Project Syndicate.

To continue reading, subscribe now.

Already have an account? Log in

Support High-Quality Commentary

For more than 25 years, Project Syndicate has been guided by a simple credo: All people deserve access to a broad range of views by the world's foremost leaders and thinkers on the issues, events, and forces shaping their lives. At a time of unprecedented uncertainty, that mission is more important than ever – and we remain committed to fulfilling it.

But there is no doubt that we, like so many other media organizations nowadays, are under growing strain. If you are in a position to support us, please subscribe now.

As a subscriber, you will enjoy unlimited access to our On Point suite of long reads, book reviews, and insider interviews; Big Picture topical collections; Say More contributor interviews; Opinion Has It podcast features; The Year Ahead magazine, the full PS archive, and much more. You will also directly support our mission of delivering the highest-quality commentary on the world's most pressing issues to as wide an audience as possible.

By helping us to build a truly open world of ideas, every PS subscriber makes a real difference. Thank you.

Subscribe Now

new comment has been posted. new comments have been posted.

0 Comments on this paragraph, 5 Comments on this article

Elizabeth Pula Nov 28, 2019

Democracy isn't being misapplied. It is AI that is being misapplied. Democracy is being misinterpreted.

Because of opportunism, and first access to data, real knowledge, based on language and access to that knowledge about other people, there is an imbalance of power. The few used opportunism to take advantage of the many, based on proprietary and secret knowledge and use that knowledge against the many. This is really a corruption of the communication process that reveals itself politically because of power consolidation during the corrupted communication processes.

AI can really speed up the process to good. BUT, as a tool for good work, as you mention, using ethics and principles to good work, the tool is being misapplied. AI is not some fantastic new thing. AI has been around probably since the day man first attempted to communicate. It's just that it has taken mankind a long time to be able to learn how to use different forms of power, especially electricity, and begin to understand sound, and waves of both forms of energies.

The elite and strongmen are using power to control others. Transparency, and the force to require transparency at all levels is the only way to restore a balance to democracy. Democracy has not become "a" weapon. Reasonable communication in written documented form, and in accountable form is the struggle right now. Social contracts are important. Buyer beware is probably more true today than that phrase ever was.

The balkanization of Africa is not really the result of colonialism. The British left infrastructure, and systems that could have been utilized by Africans for quite awhile. There is much ignorance still in Africa because so much of communication had been so different than the words and ways of the so-called Imperialists. Disease, war, tactics, etc. yes there is much terrible actions by Imperialists. However, African leadership have corrupted their own ethics of their own tribal customs and understandings.

Many African leaders for centuries have sold their own people. The slavery did not begin with the era of the Imperialists. The residue of hatred is within all people still. Sure, if I were tortured, I could be just as bad as anyone that I can refer to. It takes a will to not give in to bad will. It takes guidance and example. A lot of people have guided me to try to become the best human being that I am capable of being. I have not been tortured.

There are people right now in Africa that are working for Africa, and only Africa. As you mention, some in Africa are seeing differences within Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Namibia etc,. These conflicts are developing because of financialization processes. Money is the only way to survive today. If you don't have access to money, everyone knows they can't survive. But, there is a treacherous path to get to an ethical path, if you need money to survive, don't have any, don't have any way to get any money, and no water to drink, and no electricity, especially while a relative few have luxury. Baboons can dive into a gated-community one home-owner's pool, when the owners aren't home, but can a person who doesn't have any right to step into that gated community? Does it matter which is white or black today? The dividing line is money. Territorial rights aren't a funny topic.

The urban problems within Africa now, are because of poor leadership of and by Africans. Many men are educated, but they have adopted opportunism as their mantra.
Read Deng Ziaoping, by Ezra Vote, hopefully Africa can achieve better work results with Chinese directions; apply quality principles of the Japanese, use the best Project Management teams you know. Focus focus focus on local local local. Define your enemies, and define your friends. If the state boundaries don't work as an organizational geographic foundation, the people living in those areas need to establish their own new boundaries. Change can be very difficult.

Budgets need to be transparent and accountable as a concurrent process. All participants on any project should be able to see the daily accounts balances and activities, to have equal knowledge about the total financial picture-in-process.

RE:"A more carefully crafted approach would likely yield valuable new insights into the difficulties of governance, leadership, and management across the continent." It took Ziaoping over 50 years, he gave his life to China and future generations. Hopefully, there can be a merging of principles to gain results in Africa that eliminate duplicating the torturous and treacherous routes that created the modern China today. Maybe Africa can do it in 30 years, or less.

Everyone is in the same boat, survival, and every man for himself. Democracy is not easy, and neither are any of the other forms of state governing. Imperialism as a system is also distorted due to political applications, and actions through time. Certain systems are inherently imperialistic systems. Used correctly, applying and interpreting imperialistic systems can still create or not create political democracies. Democracy is only one form of state, not necessarily the best, not necessarily the worst.
A new reply to this comment has been posted.
vivek iyer Nov 28, 2019

African countries, typically, had only two to three generations of colonial rule of varying degrees of rigor and formality. The adaptability and intelligence of African leaders, as well as their commitment to independence and their rejection of Western prejudices represents the polar opposite of what was observable in India under the Raj. There was never a 'loyalist' class- as there was in Nineteenth Century Bengal- which aped the manners of the Colonial masters and denigrated indigenous institutions. Even Mahatma Gandhi's revolt against imposed Western values was half-hearted and eventually futile.

Sadly, like the Indians, African leaders either adopted a very foolish type of 'Developmental' Socialism or else were corrupt, casteist (or 'tribalist'), and wholly incompetent. This was not a Colonial legacy nor had it to do with the fetishization of the Nation State. Rather, this was a response to the half baked Socialist ideas popular in the Sixties which many American academics promoted. Kenneth Marin in Tanzania was one of the more more benign example. His student, Mwakikagile has stressed authenticity as against imitation of the West, but the fact is there is nothing more authentically human than mimetic and counter mimetic drives. The tremendous capacity of Africa to absorb and transform all global influences is a testimony to the high intelligence, optimism, and dynamism of the people. Africa is producing outstanding scholars with a very nuanced approach and well balanced judgment. But the continent is young and in no mood to brook the sage advise of savants! One unfortunate legacy of colonialism- viz. underdevelopment of cross border and 'intra-industry' trade- no longer has salience because of more sensible policies. As transport improves and mobility increases, the Continent will rise up to take its proper place. The second half of this century will be increasingly Africa led.
A new reply to this comment has been posted.
Nov 28, 2019

This comment was removed by a moderator. Replies to this comment may also be deleted. Please note that we moderate comments to ensure the conversation remains topically relevant. We appreciate well-informed comments and welcome your criticism and insight. Please be civil and avoid name-calling and ad hominem remarks.
- vivek iyer Jun 2, 2020
  
  Another deeply repugnant, racist, comment from 'Michael Public'. Why is he not banned from this site?
  A new reply to this comment has been posted.
A new reply to this comment has been posted.
Kevin Akor Nov 27, 2019

Thanks Prof Amaeshi for enlightening us with this article. I am highly gravitated towards your reasoning and facts you presented. In my morning meditation Today I pondered on how the citizens of Nigeria could re-elect a military general who has ruled the country in a government short of democracy. Prior to the last election debates were conducted by the Press but the major party candidates refused to be part of it. They denied the citizens opportunity to hear from them their plans and goals for the country! Yet the citizens without hearing from them wholesomely voted these candidates.

Democracy is far practiced in Nigeria a British colony. Your article buttress this reality.
Thanks for enriching us with your writing.
Shekis
A new reply to this comment has been posted.

https://prosyn.org/bvAnbcFfr

Décolonialiser l’étude des pays africains

To continue reading, subscribe now.

Support High-Quality Commentary

New Comment

Email this piece to a friend

Contact us

Log in/Register

Décolonialiser l’étude des pays africains

To continue reading, subscribe now.

Support High-Quality Commentary

Edit Newsletter Preferences

Set up Notification