Chairman of United
Nigeria Airlines, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, has tasked political anthropologists
across universities in Africa on the development of an indigenous democratic
culture that imbibes the traditional values of the people of the continent.
He made this call while
delivering the keynote address at a two-day international hybrid political
conference of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka recently. The well-attended
conference, which was themed, “Political Transitions and Economic Development:
The African Experience” attracted political scientists from across the
continent and afforded the conferees the opportunity to explore the intricacies
of the practice of democracy on the continent.
According to Prof.
Okonkwo, developing, and inculcating, an indigenous democratic culture that
embodies all traditional African values and norms may be a new roadmap towards
instituting a democratic practice that is enduring as well as eliminates problematic
transitions.
He argued that incessant
forced transitions in Africa, many of which had led to bloodshed as well as
huge economic and development losses, could be traced to the imposition of a
democratic habit that is alien to traditional African cultural norms.
“Even as we task the
political anthropologists in our universities to help develop an Afrocentric
democratic system of governance”, Prof. Okonkwo stated that “we must,
especially in Africa, try to resolve the tension between liberal democracy as
prescribed by the West and the welfare state and social democratic system that
is more in sync with the continent’s communitarian system of living reflected
in such time-honoured axiom as it takes a village to raise a child.”
According to him,
“liberal democracy privileges individual rights and capitalist values at the
expense of the collective or what we generally refer to as public interest”.
Prof. Okonkwo insisted
that “for some critics, democracy is simply foreign to Africa and can never
work. Others, however, underscore the need for Africa to develop a model of
democracy that reflects its cultural values and systems; drawing from the
continent’s pre-colonial governance structures.”
He noted that political
tension and forced transitions in the continent had imperiled economic
advancement with the attendant loss of momentum on governance which had, to a
large extent, been responsible for the rise in poverty in African states.
Okonkwo noted that
“Africa’s experience with democratization, with very few exceptions, has often
stagnated at the phase of transition resulting in a great deal of frustration
and disenchantment among the people many of whom remain mired in
multidimensional poverty.”
He argued that “theorists
of democratization in about the past three decades broadly conceive as a
two-step process of transition and consolidation which are neither linear nor
inevitable”, adding that “among the key features of the transition phase is the
end of authoritarian rule, the conduct of elections, even if flawed, the
establishment of some basic rules regarding the conduct of state power and
relative access to those by both the political class and society at large,
among others.”
Besides calling for the
development of an indigenous democratic culture that embodies traditional
African values, Prof. Okonkwo, however, insisted that for democracy to take
firm root, bring an end to forced transitions and answer to the yearnings of
the people for development, African states must begin to institutionalise
behaviours that endear democracy to the people.
Prof. Okonkwo listed weak
institutions, ethnopolitical and religious divisions, economic disparities, and
external influence alongside the partisanship of security forces as some of the
factors responsible for forced transitions on the continents.
He, however, canvassed
the strengthening of democratic institutions, promoting inclusive governance,
enhanced civic education and voter awareness, strengthening security measures,
international support, and diplomatic engagement among steps necessary to
eliminate forced transitions in Africa.
“African countries should
prioritize the strengthening of democratic institutions, including electoral
commissions, judicial systems, and oversight bodies. These institutions need to
be independent, transparent, and accountable to ensure fair and credible
elections; building trust in the electoral process can help reduce the
likelihood of problematic transitions and post-election violence; encouraging
inclusive governance and inclusive political participation is vital for
reducing election-related tensions; investing in civic education programs can
help to inform citizens about their rights, the importance of peaceful
elections, and the consequences of election violence.
“African governments should
prioritize the strengthening of security measures during elections. This
includes adequate training and equipping of security forces to handle
election-related security challenges professionally and impartially; building
and strengthening mechanisms for peaceful dialogue, negotiation, and dispute
resolution to address issues and conflicts arising during elections and as such
help foster peaceful transitions, as well as engaging international partners,
regional organizations, and neighbouring countries should provide support and
engagement to help prevent and address election violence and transitions in
Africa”, among others, he said, can help see Africa through forced transitions.