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. In Africa, as in every region, it is the quality and characteristics of governance that shape the level of peace and stability and the prospects for economic development. References: Blakemore and Cooksey (1980). A third argument claims that chieftaincy heightens primordial loyalties, as chiefs constitute the foci of ethnic identities (Simwinga quoted in van Binsberger, 1987, p. 156). However, they do not have custodianship of land and they generally do not dispense justice on their own. The role of traditional leaders in modern Africa, especially in modern African democracies, is complex and multifaceted. One is the controversy over what constitutes traditional institutions and if the African institutions referred to as traditional in this inquiry are truly indigenous traditions, since colonialism as well as the postcolonial state have altered them notably, as Zack-Williams (2002) and Kilson (1966) observe. 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. The first three parts deal with the principal objectives of the article. This is in part because the role of traditional leaders has changed over time. Safeguarding womens rights thus becomes hard without transforming the economic system under which they operate. According to this analysis, Africas traditional institutional systems are likely to endure as long as the traditional subsistent economic systems continue to exist. Admittedly, the problem is by no means uniquely African, but it is very commonly experienced in Africa. 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. Such post-electoral pacts reflect the conclusion that stability is more important than democracy. Similarities between Democratic and Authoritarian Government. Pre-colonial Administration of the Yorubas. Both types of government can be effective or infective depending on . The article has three principal objectives and is organized into four parts. Some of these conflicts are, in reality, low-tech, sporadic skirmishes and armed attacks. 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. media system, was concerned with the more systematized dissemination of information between the traditional administrative organ and the people (subjects). Using a second conflict lens, the number of non-state conflicts has increased dramatically in recent years, peaking in 2017 with 50 non-state conflicts, compared to 24 in 2011. It is too soon to tell whether such institutions can evolve in modern Africa as a result of gradual tinkering with reformist agendas, as the legacy of wise leaders; or whether they will only happen as a result of fundamental tests of strength between social and political groups. On the one hand, traditional institutions are highly relevant and indispensable, although there are arguments to the contrary (see Mengisteab & Hagg [2017] for a summary of such arguments). Prominent among these Sudanic states was the Soninke Kingdom of Ancient Ghana. Strictly speaking, Ghana was the title of the King, but the Arabs, who left records . A second conflict pattern can develop along the lines of ethnic cleavages which can be readily politicized and then militarized into outright ethnic violence. However, the traditional judicial system has some weaknesses, especially with respect to gender equality. The book contains eight separate papers produced by scholars working in the field of anthropology, each of which focuses in on a different society in Sub-Saharan Africa. In Africa, as in every region, it is the quality and characteristics of governance that shape the level of peace and stability and the prospects for economic development. (No award was made in 50% of the years since the program was launched in 2007; former Liberian president Ellen John Sirleaf won the award in 2017. The features associated with this new form of governmental administration deal with smaller government responsibility for providing goods and services. We know a good deal about what Africans want and demand from their governments from public opinion surveys by Afrobarometer. West Africa has a long and complex history. 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. MyHoover delivers a personalized experience atHoover.org. Contents 1. Its lack of influence on policy also leads to its marginalization in accessing resources and public services, resulting in poverty, poor knowledge, and a poor information base, which, in turn, limits its ability to exert influence on policy. Ancient West Africa: Bantu Migrations & the Stateless Society On the one side, there are the centralized systems where leaders command near absolute power. The Boundaries of Tradition: An Examination of the Traditional Should inclusion be an ongoing process or a single event? Following decolonization, several African countries attempted to abolish aspects of the traditional institutional systems. In this respect, they complement official courts that are often unable to provide court services to all their rural communities. African Solutions for African Problems - The Real Meaning The abolishment of chieftaincy does not eradicate the systems broader underlying features, such as customary law, decision-making systems, and conflict resolution practices. The link between conflict and governance is a two-way street. African traditional administrative system with bureaucratization in the emerged new states of Africa. Another issue that needs some clarification is the neglect by the literature of the traditional institutions of the political systems without centralized authority structures. Differences and Similarities Between a Democracy and a Republic As noted, there are notable differences in the authority systems of African traditional institutions. Government, Public Policy Performance, Types of Government. 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). The geography of South Africa is vast scrubland in the interior, the Namib Desert in the northwest, and tropics in the southeast. My intention in this chapter is to explore the traditional African ideas and values of politics with a view to pointing up what may be described as the democratic features of the indigenous system of government and to examine whether, and in what ways, such features can be said to be harmonious with the ethos of contemporary political culture and hence can be said to be relevant to . Traditional Governance Systems - Participedia In most African countries, constitutionally established authorities exercise the power of government alongside traditional authorities. Maintenance of law and order: the primary and most important function of the government is to maintain law and order in a state. Problems and Purpose. To complicate matters further, the role of traditional institutions is likely to be critical in addressing the problem of institutional fragmentation. Tribe Versus Ethnic Group. However, the winner takes all system in the individual states is a democracy type of voting system, as the minority gets none of the electoral college votes. 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. The government system is a republic; the chief of state and head of government is the president. Traditional Institutions of Governance in Africa It assigned them new roles while stripping away some of their traditional roles. This concept paper focuses on the traditional system of governance in Africa including their consensual decision-making models, as part of a broader effort to better define and advocate their role in achieving good governance. Most African countries are characterized by parallel institutions, one representing the formal laws of the state and the other representing the traditional institutions that are adhered to more commonly in rural areas. The leaders, their families and allies are exempt. Authority in this system was shared or distributed to more people within the community. With the introduction of the Black Administration Act the African system of governance and administration was changed and the white government took control of the African population. 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. What policies and laws will determine relations between farmers and urban dwellers, between farmers and herders, between diverse identity groups living in close proximity or encroaching on each others farm land, and between public officials, criminal networks and ordinary citizens? Africas states are the worlds newest, and it can hardly be surprising that Africans define themselves in terms of multiple identities including regional, tribal, clan-based, and religious onesin addition to being citizens of a relatively new state. PDF The Local Government System in Ghana - Clgf As a United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) study (2007) notes, traditional leaders often operate as custodians of customary law and communal assets, especially land. Under conditions where nation-building is in a formative stage, the retribution-seeking judicial system and the winner-take-all multiparty election systems often lead to combustible conditions, which undermine the democratization process. One common feature is recognition of customary property rights laws, especially that of land. Your current browser may not support copying via this button. 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. TRADITIONAL AUTHORITY IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT - Modish Project Traditional and informal justice systems aim at restoring social cohesion within the community by promoting reconciliation between disputing parties. Types of Government in Africa - Synonym In addition, according to Chirayath et al. These features include nonprofits, non-profits and hybrid entities are now provide goods and services that were once delivered by the government. To sum up, traditional institutions provide vital governance services to communities that operate under traditional socioeconomic spaces. 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. Even so, customary law still exerts a strong . Table 1 shows the proportion of the population that operates under traditional economic systems in selected African countries. Africas geopolitical environment is shaped by Africans to a considerable degree. Towards a Definition of Government 1.3. On the eve of the departure of the colonial power, the Nigerian power elite in collusion with the departing colonial authority, drew up an elaborate constitution for a liberal bourgeois state - complete with provisions for parties in government and those in opposition. f Basic Features cont. Ehret 2002 emphasizes the diversity and long history of precolonial social and political formations, whereas Curtin, et al. African political elites are more determined than ever to shape their own destiny, and they are doing so. When a seemingly brittle regime reaches the end of its life, it becomes clear that the state-society gap is really a regime-society gap; the state withers and its institutions become hollow shells that serve mainly to extract rents. All the characteristic features of a traditional society are, for obvious reasons, reflected in the education system. PDF Traditional Leaders In Modern Africa: Can Democracy And The - ETH Z Some African nations are prosperous while others struggle. The traditional and informal justice systems, it is argued offers greater access to justice. Although considerable differences exist among the various systems, opportunities for women to participate in decision making in most traditional systems are generally limited. Features of Yoruba Pre colonial Administration - Bscholarly Unfortunately, transforming the traditional sector is not an easy undertaking and cannot be achieved in a reasonably short time. Chiefs such as those of the Nuer and Dinka are examples of this category. The scope of the article is limited to an attempt to explain how the endurance of African traditional institutions is related to the continents economic systems and to shed light on the implications of fragmented institutional systems. Africa: Laws and Legal Systems - Geography An analytical study and impact of colonialism on pre-colonial centralized and decentralized African Traditional and Political Systems. 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. If a critical mass of the leaderse.g., South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia, Cote dIvoire, Algeria, Egyptare heading in a positive direction, they will pull some others along in their wake; of course, the reverse is also true. Relevance of African traditional institutions of Governance Still another form of legitimacy in Africa sometimes derives from traditional political systems based on some form of kingship. Yet, governments are expected to govern and make decisions after consulting relevant stakeholders. Often women are excluded from participation in decision making, especially in patrilineal social systems. 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 The nature of governance is central because it determines whether the exercise of authority is viewed as legitimate. Violating customary property rights, especially land takings, without adequate compensation impedes institutional reconciliation by impoverishing rather than transforming communities operating in the traditional economic system. 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. Types of government practiced in Nigeria, from monarchy to democracy Other governance systems in the post-independence era and their unique features, if any. PDF African Governance Systems in the Pre and Post-Independence Periods The participatory and consensus-based system of conflict resolution can also govern inter-party politics and curtail the frequent post-election conflicts that erupt in many African countries. Freedom House calculated that 17 out of 50 countries it covered were free or partly free in 1988, compared to 31 out of 54 countries in these categories by 2015. Form of State: Federal, Unitary or - Jerusalem Center for Public not because of, the unique features of US democracy . 2. During the colonial period, "tribe" was used to identify specific cultural and political groups in much the same way as "nation" is defined above. Learn more about joining the community of supporters and scholars working together to advance Hoovers mission and values. Editorial Citizenship and Accountability: Customary Law and Traditional With respect to their relevance, traditional institutions remain indispensable for several reasons. The arguments against traditional institutions are countered by arguments that consider traditional institutions to be indispensable and that they should be the foundations of African institutions of governance (Davidson, 1992). 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. The African Charter embodies some of the human . Another layer represents the societal norms and customs that differ along various cultural traits. African Traditional Political System and Institution: University of The Gambia, Faculty of humanities and social sciences. This category of chiefs serves their communities in various and sometimes complex roles, which includes spiritual service. The purpose is to stress that such efforts and the attendant will Challenges confronting the institution of chieftaincy have continued from the colonial era into recent times. Poor leadership can result in acts of commission or omission that alienate or disenfranchise geographically distinct communities. Given its institutional disconnect with the state, the traditional sector and the communities that operate under it invariably face marginalization in influencing policy as well as in access to economic resources throughout the continent. Their endurance and coexistence with the institutions of the state has created an institutional dichotomy in much of Africa. While empirical data are rather scanty, indications are that the traditional judicial system serves the overwhelming majority of rural communities (Mengisteab & Hagg, 2017). (PDF) INDIGENOUS AFRICAN POLITICAL SYSTEMS - Academia.edu Another measure is recognition of customary law and traditional judicial systems by the state. 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. As noted, African countries have experienced the rise of the modern (capitalist) economic system along with its corresponding institutional systems. Before then, traditional authorities essentially provided leadership for the various communities and kingdoms. Traditional affairs | South African Government Why the traditional systems endure, how the institutional dichotomy impacts the process of building democratic governance, and how the problems of institutional incoherence might be mitigated are issues that have not yet received adequate attention in African studies. These events point to extreme state fragility and a loss of sovereign control over violence in the 11 affected countries, led by Nigeria, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic (CAR). Different property rights laws are a notable source of conflict in many African countries. Understanding the Gadaa System. However, the system of traditional government varied from place to place. In many tribes, the chief was the representative of the ancestors. Societal conflicts: Institutional dichotomy often entails incompatibility between the systems. Additionally, the Guurti is charged with resolving conflicts in the country using traditional conflict resolution mechanisms.
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