. The leaders in this system have significant powers, as they often are custodians of their communitys land and they dispense justice in their courts. Rule that is based on predation and political monopoly is unlikely to enjoy genuine popular legitimacy, but it can linger for decades unless there are effective countervailing institutions and power centers. The same technology vectors can also empower criminal, trafficking, and terrorist networks, all of which pose threats to state sovereignty. In many tribes, the chief was the representative of the ancestors. One common feature is recognition of customary property rights laws, especially that of land. In this respect, they complement official courts that are often unable to provide court services to all their rural communities. By Sulayman Sanneh Date: September 10th, 2021. fIntroduction Africa is a vast and . For example, the electoral college forces a republic type of voting system. African Politics: A Very Short Introduction explores how politics is practised on the African continent, providing an overview of the different states and their systems. Thus, another report by PRIO and the University of Uppsala (two Norwegian and Swedish centers) breaks conflict down into state-based (where at least one party is a government), non-state-based (neither party is an official state actor), and one-sided conflicts (an armed faction against unarmed civilians). The same source concluded that 7 out of the 12 worst scores for political rights and civil liberties are African.11 As noted, the reasons vary: patrimonialism gone wrong (the big man problem), extreme state fragility and endemic conflict risks, the perverse mobilization of ethnicity by weak or threatened leaders. Judicial Administration. not because of, the unique features of US democracy . But established and recognized forms of inherited rule cannot be lightly dismissed as un-modern, especially when linked to the identity of an ethnic or tribal group, and could be construed as a building block of legitimacy. PDF Traditional Systems of Communication in Nigeria Some of these conflicts are, in reality, low-tech, sporadic skirmishes and armed attacks. Traditional institutions have continued to metamorphose under the postcolonial state, as Africas socioeconomic systems continue to evolve. A strict democracy would enforce the "popular vote" total over the entire United States. Rather, they often rely on voluntary compliance, although they also apply some soft power to discourage noncompliance by members with customary laws. That is, each society had a set of rules, laws, and traditions, sometimes called customs, that established how the people would live together peacefully as part of larger group. It also develops a theoretical framework for the . Only four states in AfricaBotswana, Gambia, Mauritius, and Senegalretained multiparty systems. They succeed when there are political conditions that permit a broad coalition to impose pluralist political institutions and limits and restraints on ruling elites.20 Thus, resilience of both state and society may hinge in the end on the rule of law replacing the rule of men. . Ousted royals such as Haile Selassie (Ethiopia) and King Idriss (Libya) may be replaced by self-anointed secular rulers who behave as if they were kings until they, in turn, get overthrown. Non-official institutions and civil society may have very different ideas from the national government on this issue, leading to debates about legitimacy. This approach to governance was prominent in the Oyo empire. The cases of Nigeria, Kenya, and South Sudan suggest that each case must be assessed on its own merits. Before delving into the inquiry, clarification of some issues would be helpful in avoiding confusion. These include - murder, burglary, landcase, witchcraft, profaning the deities and homicide. The third section looks at the critical role of political and economic inclusion in shaping peace and stability and points to some of the primary challenges leaders face in deciding how to manage inclusion: whom to include and how to pay for it. Government: A Multifarious Concept 1.2. Understanding the Gadaa System. This short article does not attempt to provide answers to all these questions, which require extensive empirical study. Copy this link, or click below to email it to a friend. The modern African state system has been gradually Africanized, albeit on more or less the identical territorial basis it began with at the time of decolonization in the second half of the 20 th century. Interestingly, small and mid-size state leaders have won the award so far.) Traditional leadership in South Africa pre-existed both the colonial and apartheid systems of governance and was the main known system of governance amongst indigenous people. The challenge facing Africas leadersperhaps above all othersis how to govern under conditions of ethnic diversity. PDF Structure of Government - EOLSS Because these governmental institutions reject the indigenous political systems on which African society was built, they have generally failed to bring political . There is a basic distinction between those systems with a centralized authority exercised through the machinery of government and those without any such authority in which . Other governance systems in the post-independence era and their unique features, if any. Strictly speaking, Ghana was the title of the King, but the Arabs, who left records . According to this analysis, Africas traditional institutional systems are likely to endure as long as the traditional subsistent economic systems continue to exist. In West Africa, a griot is a praise singer or poet who possesses a repository of oral tradition passed down from generation to generation. Some live in remote areas beyond the reach of some of the institutions of the state, such as courts. African Style Democracy? - Public Seminar Ten years later, in 2017, the number of conflicts was 18, taking place in 13 different countries. However, they are not merely customs and norms; rather they are systems of governance, which were formal in precolonial times and continue to exist in a semiformal manner in some countries and in an informal manner in others. The reasons why rural communities adhere to the traditional institutions are many (Logan, 2011; Mengisteab & Hagg, 2017). Pre-colonial Political System In Nigeria (Yoruba Traditional System) Institutional dichotomy also seems to be a characteristic of transitional societies, which are between modes of production. Governance also has an important regional dimension relating to the institutional structures and norms that guide a regions approach to challenges and that help shape its political culture.1 This is especially relevant in looking at Africas place in the emerging world since this large region consists of 54 statesclose to 25% of the U.N.s membershipand includes the largest number of landlocked states of any region, factors that dramatically affect the political environment in which leaders make choices. In other cases, however, they survived as paid civil servants of the state without displacing the traditional elder-based traditional authority systems. In these relatively new nations, the critical task for leadership is to build a social contract that is sufficiently inclusive to permit the management of diversity. The campaign by some (but not all) African states to pull out of the International Criminal Court is but one illustration of the trend. In Ghana, for example, local governance is an area where traditional leadership and the constitutional government sometimes lock horns. Traditional leaders often feel left out when the government takes decisions affecting their people and land without their consent or involvement. Located on the campus of Stanford University and in Washington, DC, the Hoover Institution is the nations preeminent research center dedicated to generating policy ideas that promote economic prosperity, national security, and democratic governance. 15 Facts on African Religions The Interfaith Observer Each of these societies had a system of government. Customary law also manages land tenure and land allocation patterns. South Africa has a mixed economy in which there is a variety of private freedom, combined with centralized economic . The customary structures of governance of traditional leadership were put aside or transformed. 7. Module Ten, Activity Two - Exploring Africa In addition, resolution needs to be acceptable to all parties. 14 L.A. Ayinla 'African Philosophy of Law: A Critique' 151, available at African states, along with Asian, Middle Eastern, and even European governments, have all been affected. These migrations resulted in part from the formation and disintegration of a series of large states in the western Sudan (the region north of modern Ghana drained by the Niger River). Click here to get an answer to your question Discuss any similarities between the key features of the fourth republican democracy and the traditional afri There are several types of government that are traditionally instituted around the world. For Acemoglu and Robinson, such turning points occur in specific, unique historical circumstances that arise in a societys development. Poor statesociety relations and weak state legitimacy: Another critical outcome of institutional fragmentation and institutional detachment of the state from the overwhelming majority of the population is weak legitimacy of the state (Englebert, 2000). They are less concerned with doctrines and much more so with rituals . Yet, the traditional judicial system in most cases operates outside of the states institutional framework. 79 (3), (1995) pp. Challenges confronting the institution of chieftaincy have continued from the colonial era into recent times. For example, is it more effective to negotiate a power-sharing pact among key parties and social groups (as in Kenya) or is there possible merit in a periodic national dialogue to address issues that risk triggering conflict? Another category of chiefs is those who theoretically are subject to selection by the community. There are several types of government systems in African politics: in an absolute monarchy, the head of state and head of government is a monarch with unlimited legal authority,; in a constitutional monarchy, the monarch is a ceremonial figurehead who has few political competences,; in a presidential system, the president is the head of state and head of government, Its ability to influence policy is limited in large part because of its institutional detachment from the state and because of its poverty and lack of capacity to participate in the political process. The first three parts deal with the principal objectives of the article. A Long Journey: The Bantu Migrations. The US system has survived four years of a norm-busting president by the skin of its teeth - which areas need most urgent attention? For these and other reasons, the state-society gap lies at the heart of the problems faced by many states. By 2016, 35 AU members had joined it, but less than half actually subjected themselves to being assessed. The three countries have pursued rather different strategies of reconciling their institutional systems and it remains to be seen if any of their strategies will deliver the expected results, although all three countries have already registered some progress in reducing conflicts and in advancing the democratization process relative to countries around them. While comprehensive empirical studies on the magnitude of adherence to traditional institutions are lacking, some studies point out that most people in rural areas prefer the judicial service provided by traditional institutions to those of the state, for a variety of reasons (Logan, 2011; Mengisteab & Hagg, 2017). 17-19 1.6. Even old-fashioned tyrants learn that inclusion or co-option are expensive. The abolishment of chieftaincy does not eradicate the systems broader underlying features, such as customary law, decision-making systems, and conflict resolution practices. Traditional Institutions of Governance in Africa (2005), customary systems operating outside of the state regime are often the dominant form of regulation and dispute resolution, covering up to 90% of the population in parts of Africa. By the mid-1970s, the politics of Africa had turned authoritarian. The traditional justice system, thus, does not have the power to grant any rights beyond the local level. In Igbo land for example the system of government was quite unique and transcends the democracy of America and Europe. PDF Traditional Leaders In Modern Africa: Can Democracy And The - ETH Z In this paper, I look first at the emergence of the African state system historically, including colonial legacies and the Cold Wars impact on governance dynamics. Cookie Settings. Hindrance to democratization: Perhaps among the most important challenges institutional fragmentation poses is to the process of democratization. Institutions represent an enduring collection of formal laws and informal rules, customs, codes of conduct, and organized practices that shape human behavior and interaction. Africa: Government and Political Systems - Geography A command economy, also known as a planned economy, is one in which the central government plans, organizes, and controls all economic activities to maximize social welfare. What sets Hoover apart from all other policy organizations is its status as a center of scholarly excellence, its locus as a forum of scholarly discussion of public policy, and its ability to bring the conclusions of this scholarship to a public audience. This is in part because the role of traditional leaders has changed over time. The settlement of conflicts and disputes in such consensus-based systems involves narrowing of differences through negotiations rather than through adversarial procedures that produce winners and losers. The institution of traditional leadership in Africa pre-existed both the colonial and apartheid systems and was the only known system of governance among indigenous people. Why can't democracy with African characteristics maintain the values, culture and traditional system of handling indiscipline, injustice and information management in society to take firm roots. The introduction of alien economic and political systems by the colonial state relegated Africas precolonial formal institutions to the sphere of informality, although they continued to operate in modified forms, in part due to the indirect rule system of colonialism and other forms of reliance by colonial states on African institutions of governance to govern their colonies. The imperative for inclusion raises many questions: should the priority be to achieve inclusion of diverse elites, of ethnic and confessional constituencies, of a sample of grass roots opinion leaders? Towards a Definition of Government 1.3. It may be useful to recall that historical kingships or dynasties were the common form of rule in Europe, India, China until modern times, and still is the predominant form of rule on the Arabian Peninsula. Poor gender relations: Traditional institutions share some common weaknesses. The Role and Significance of Traditional Leadership in South African The nature of governance is central because it determines whether the exercise of authority is viewed as legitimate. Countries such as Burkina Faso, Guinea, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, for example, attempted to strip chiefs of most of their authority or even abolish chieftaincy altogether. Lawmaking: government makes laws to regulate the behavior of its citizens. The traditional and informal justice systems, it is argued offers greater access to justice. Typically, such leaders scheme to rig elections or to change constitutional term limitsactions seen in recent years in such countries as Rwanda and Uganda. After examining the history, challenges, and opportunities for the institution of traditional leadership within a modern democracy, the chapter considers the effect of the current constitutional guarantee for chieftaincy and evaluates its practical workability and structural efficiency under the current governance system. If inclusion is the central ingredient, it will be necessary to explore in greater depth the resources leaders have available to pay for including various social groups and demographic cohorts. As a result, it becomes highly complex to analyze their roles and structures without specifying the time frame. A third layer lies between the other two layers and is referred to in this article as traditional institutions. Following decolonization, several African countries attempted to abolish aspects of the traditional institutional systems. The geography of South Africa is vast scrubland in the interior, the Namib Desert in the northwest, and tropics in the southeast. During the colonial period, "tribe" was used to identify specific cultural and political groups in much the same way as "nation" is defined above. Third, Africas conflict burden reflects different forms and sources of violence that sometimes become linked to each other: political movements may gain financing and coercive support from criminal networks and traffickers, while religious militants with connections to terrorist groups are often adept at making common cause with local grievance activists. Abstract. Perhaps a more realistic transitional approach would be to reconcile the parallel institutions while simultaneously pursuing policies that transform traditional economic systems. The problems that face African governments are universal. A Sociology of Education for Africa . Certain offences were regarded as serious offences. Despite the adoption of constitutional term limits in many African countries during the 1990s, such restrictions have been reversed or defied in at least 15 countries since 2000, according to a recent report.6, The conflict-governance link takes various forms, and it points to the centrality of the variable of leadership. However, almost invariably the same functions, whether or not formally defined and characterized in the same terms or exercised in the same manner, are also performed by traditional institutions and their leaders. Building an inclusive political system also raises the question of what levels of the society to include and how to assure that local communities as well as groups operating at the national level can get their voices heard. However, the system of traditional government varied from place to place. On the one side, there are the centralized systems where leaders command near absolute power. Some African nations are prosperous while others struggle. Afrocentrism, also called Africentrism, cultural and political movement whose mainly African American adherents regard themselves and all other Blacks as syncretic Africans and believe that their worldview should positively reflect traditional African values. African Political Systems is an academic anthology edited by the anthropologists Meyer Fortes and E. E. Evans-Pritchard which was published by Oxford University Press on the behalf of the International African Institute in 1940. Comparing Ethiopia and Kenya, for example, shows that adherents to the traditional institutional system is greater in Ethiopia than in Kenya, where the ratio of the population operating in the traditional economic system is smaller and the penetration of the capitalist economic system in rural areas is deeper. 7 Main Features of a Traditional Society - Sociology Discussion The jury is still out on the merits of this practice. Paramount chiefs: Another category of leadership structure is that of hereditary paramount chieftaincy with various traditional titles and various levels of accountability. This provides wide opportunity for governments to experiment, to chart a course independent of Western preferences, but it can also encourage them to move toward authoritarian, state capitalist policies when that is the necessary or the expedient thing to do. This we might call transformative resilience.21. Maintenance of law and order: the primary and most important function of the government is to maintain law and order in a state. History. Pastoral economic systems, for example, foster communal land tenure systems that allow unhindered mobility of livestock, while a capitalist economic system requires a private land ownership system that excludes access to others and allows long-term investments on land. How these differences in leadership structures impinge on the broader institutions of resources allocation patterns, judicial systems, and decision-making and conflict resolution mechanisms is still understudied. PDF African Governance Systems in the Pre and Post-Independence Periods Music is a form of communication and it plays a functional role in African society . Unlike the laws of the state, traditional institutions rarely have the coercive powers to enforce their customary laws. While this seems obvious, it is less clear what vectors and drivers will have the most weight in shaping that outcome. Afrocentrism | Definition, Examples, History, Beliefs, & Facts Paramount chieftaincy as a system of local government There is strong demand for jobs, better economic management, reduced inequality and corruption and such outcome deliverables as health, education and infrastructure.22 Those outcomes require effective governance institutions. Different property rights laws are a notable source of conflict in many African countries. Key Takeaways. Against this broad picture, what is striking is the more recent downward trend in democratic governance in Africa and the relative position of African governance when viewed on a global basis. They are the key players in providing judicial service and in conflict management in much of rural Africa. If African political elite opinion converges with that of major external voices in favoring stabilization over liberal peacebuilding agendas, the implications for governance are fairly clear.17. This outline leads us to examine more closely the sources of legitimacy in African governance systems. These different economic systems have corresponding institutional systems with divergent property rights laws and resource allocation mechanisms, disparate decision-making systems, and distinct judicial systems and conflict resolution mechanisms. In most African countries, constitutionally established authorities exercise the power of government alongside traditional authorities. The movement towards a formal state system is characterized by its emphasis on retribution and punishment. What Is a Command Economy? - The Balance This category of chiefs serves their communities in various and sometimes complex roles, which includes spiritual service. However, their endurance, along with that of traditional economic systems, have fostered institutional fragmentation, which has serious adverse effects on Africas governance and economic development. However, three countries, Botswana, Somaliland, and South Africa, have undertaken differing measures with varying levels of success. As a result, customary law, which often is not recognized by the state or is recognized only when it does not contradict the constitution, does not protect communities from possible transgressions by the state. The council of elders, religious leaders, and administrative staff of the chiefs exercise checks on the power of the leaders and keep them accountable (Beattie, 1967; Busia, 1968; Coplan & Quinlan, 1997; Jones, 1983; Osaghae, 1989). Admittedly, the problem is by no means uniquely African, but it is very commonly experienced in Africa. These communities select the Aba Gada, who serves a nonrenewable term of 8 years as leader. 1. Wise leadership respects ethnic diversity and works toward inclusive policies. Basing key political decisions on broad societal and inter-party consensus may help to de-escalate cutthroat competition that often leads to violent conflicts. "Law" in traditional Igbo and other African societies assumes a wide dimension and should be understood, interpreted, and applied as such, even if such a definition conflicts with the Western idea. African political systems are described in a number of textbooks and general books on African history. Introduction: The Meaning of the Concept Government 1.1. When conflicts evolve along ethnic lines, they are readily labelled ethnic conflict as if caused by ancient hatreds; in reality, it is more often caused by bad governance and by political entrepreneurs. It assigned them new roles while stripping away some of their traditional roles. The Political History of Africa: The Pre-Colonial Era - African In Botswana, for example, the consensual decision-making process in the kgotla (public meeting) regulates the power of the chiefs. by the Board of Trustees of Leland Stanford Junior University. Impact of Historical Origins of African State System2. These circumstances can generate an authoritarian reflex and the temptation to circle the wagons against all sources of potential opposition. African Traditional Political Systems and Intitutions - Academia.edu African countries are characterized by fragmentation of various aspects of their political economy, including their institutions of governance. Examine the definitions, strengths, and weaknesses of several common governments: monarchy, theocracy . All life was religious . In this regard, the president is both the head of state and government, and there are three arms and tiers of rules by which the country is ruled. In the past decade, traditional security systems utilized in commercial or government facilities have consisted of a few basic elements: a well-trained personnel, a CCTV system, and some kind of access control system. African Governance: Challenges and Their Implications Under the circumstances, it becomes critical that traditional leaders are directly involved in local governance so that they protect the interests of their communities. Less than 20% of Africa's states achieved statehood following rebellion or armed insurgency; in the others, independence flowed from . The chapter further examines the dabbling of traditional leaders in the political process in spite of the proscription of the institution from mainstream politics and, in this context, analyzes the policy rationale for attempting to detach chieftaincy from partisan politics. A more recent example of adaptive resilience is being demonstrated by Ethiopias Abiy Ahmed. African Political Systems - Wikipedia Many others choose the customary laws and conflict resolution mechanisms because they correspond better to their way of life. However, they are not merely customs and norms; rather they are systems of governance, which were formal in precolonial times and continue to exist in a semiformal manner in some countries and in an informal manner in others.1. This fragmentation is also unlikely to go away anytime soon on its own. In this context the chapter further touches on the compatibility of the institution of chieftaincy with constitutional principles such as equality, accountability, natural justice, good governance, and respect for fundamental human rights. It is unlikely, however, that such harmony can be brought about by measures that aim to abolish the traditional system, as was attempted by some countries in the aftermath of decolonization. One-sided violence against unarmed civilians has also spiked up since 2011.4, These numbers require three major points of clarification. As Legesse (1973, 2000) notes, the fundamental principles that guide the consensus-based (decentralized) authority systems include curbing the concentration of power in an institution or a person and averting the emergence of a rigid hierarchy.
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