Uneasy, they say, lies the head that wears the crown. That adage, apt for a time when kings were a law unto themselves, when they had the power over life and death, still finds strong expression in this age.
These days, kings, except they are of Middle Eastern or Asian stock (let’s add Swaziland to the number), are largely without the powers to decide the fate of a nation. The powers that made them all-powerful in the past now reside with the commoners; or so it would seem.
Nations, having shed that feudal system that perpetuates the lordship of one family over the whole generation after generation, have now generally embraced the one that allows people to have a say on who rules over them. People now have the liberty to put their views to vote and the purview to remove a leader that is not working up to par—in an ideal scenario. Democracy, the system of having a say in the selection of one’s leaders, in its ideal sense, is one that cannot be faulted.
The world we live in is not perfect; it won’t be this beautiful if it was. As such, an ideal political expression is rarely obtainable, especially as the major downside of power is its ability to absolutely corrupt those entrusted with it. Europeans, their offshoots in the Americas, and the South East Asians, have had centuries, within which to experiment, fight, kill and jaw jaw on the best way to handle the enormous power thrust on the masses. One thing that is note worthy is the fact that the entities mentioned above all evolved their people-based governments—call it democracy if you may—to suit their peculiar cultures and needs.
In Africa, the indigenous democratic systems that would have been explored and adapted for modern living were swept away with colonialism's disregard for anything native. This was probably because at that time, the colonial masters knew very little of democracy. An example is their meddling and imposition of kings where none previously exist abound cross Africa.
One of such examples is the republican government system practised by my tribe, the Igbo of South Eastern Nigeria. A system that worked far better than the feudal system of the colonial masters, who scoffing at the thought of a people without an overlord, shoved it aside and had warrant chiefs imposed on the land. Now that land is awash with chiefs not worth their weight in honour, for money and infamy has watered down the honour system that used to produce their likes in the glorious past.
African governments struggle with the concept of democracy, not because it is alien to them, but because the traditional values that hold at bay the corrupting influence of power are no longer in place. Democracy in Nigeria for example has been a tale of fits and starts. The story is identical across Sub-Saharan Africa. Here, there is not one successful democracy. None where democratic practice has taken hold and evolved without wars, coups, strife and the blood-letting they bring with them. The word 'coup' has now taken an African connotation, enough that it could easily be mistaken for an African word.
Democracy, a system of government that was thought perfect, that was meant to give those without power a voice, has been so morphed by African politicians that it has effectively lost its attraction. From Mali to Kenya, from Nigeria to Egypt, down to South Africa, what you get are nepotism, selfishness and all the ills that dim the hope of this rich but oft raped continent.
However, Africans need to understand that democracy, that western variant so demonised here, is not the saviour. It is time we begin producing African systems of government for Africa. It is time we recognise our burden and shake it off. The time to act, is now.
Source: Fred Nwonwu
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