6. The role of identity in African politics

‘The role of identity in African politics’ explains that identity politics are symptoms of Africa’s underdevelopment, not the cause, and the prominence of such political mobilization reflects much deeper structural problems facing many post-colonial states. Before the colonial era, African societies were based on notions of identity, such as the family, ancestral lineage, the clan, or the community. Colonial rule forced together different communities (some of which were traditionally hostile to each other) and was mainly responsible for producing the situation found today where very few nation states exist. Colonial authorities concretized differences among and between the subjugated and the de-colonization period further contributed to the politicization of identity.

4. The primacy of patronage politics

A great number of post-colonial African countries, bounded by formal frontiers and with an international presence at various international institutions such as the United Nations, function quite differently from conventional understandings of what a formal state is and should do. ‘The primacy of patronage politics’ explains that to understand African politics, the concept of neo-patrimonialism must be considered. Neo-patrimonialism is where patronage, clientelism, and rent-seeking exist, but where the structures of a modern state are also in place. In general, post-colonial African leaders have relied on coercive control and patronage through capturing power over the state, rather than through constructing a functioning impartial administration.

1. Introduction to Africa and its politics

Africa is a continent of over a billion people, yet questions of underdevelopment, malgovernance, and a form of political life based upon patronage are characteristic of many African states. ‘Introduction to Africa and its politics’ explains that the core questions underpinning this VSI centre on how politics is typically practised on the continent; the nature of the state in Africa; and what accounts for Africa’s underdevelopment. This VSI aims to appraise sub-Saharan Africa’s recent political history, examining post-colonial political structures, the impact of colonialism, and the form and nature of post-colonial states. The type of politics practised in many African states continues to be hostile to genuine nation building and broad-based, sustainable development.

7. The military in African politics

Since the 1960s, there have been more than 200 coups—extra-constitutional or forced changes in government—in Africa, with around half of them being successful. The period between the 1960s and 1990s was characterized by Cold War machinations, economic crises, and the growing de-legitimization of many post-colonial regimes. The majority of coups were followed by the formation of some type of military government, but after this diverse outcomes resulted. ‘The military in African politics’ outlines the nature of military rule and why there were so many coups. The fragility of the state and its tenuous hold on legitimacy, accentuated by the behaviour of those in power, is of critical importance.

5. Women in African politics

Gender inequality in Africa varies depending on the histories, culture, colonial legacy, and levels of economic development of each community. Generally, inequality is very real and has a direct impact upon the possibilities of the active involvement of women in political processes in Africa. ‘Women in African politics’ outlines the pre-colonial situation, the effects of colonialism on gender roles, and post-colonial Africa. At independence, most new states granted women the franchise. However, the societal norms of respectability, motherhood, and domestic responsibility often resulted in strong opposition to women playing particularly prominent roles in politics. Despite this, in recent years, women have begun mobilizing politically.

3. The transfer of power and the colonial legacy

Colonialism profoundly transformed African political, economic, and social structures. The exploitation of Africa’s labour and natural resources for the benefit of the metropoles was to have intense implications for the continent as it emerged towards independence in the 1960s as, in most cases, the foundations necessary for the construction of sovereign, economically viable, and politically stable African states did not exist. ‘The transfer of power and the colonial legacy’ describes how the European powers left most of their colonial possessions unprepared for self-rule. The key colonial legacy was economic, which massively influenced the political realm. Initial state and nation building encouraged the centralization of power and creation of political monopolies.

9. Africa’s international relations

Despite the myth of marginality and irrelevance, Africa has always played an important role in international politics. The slave trade, the Scramble for Africa and subsequent colonial period, the proxy wars of the Cold War, and the increasing importance of the continent’s natural resources all demonstrate how significant Africa has been to the wider global political economy. ‘Africa’s international relations’ considers the implications for Africa’s international relations and discusses interests, old and new. The continent is increasingly important in international relations and is attracting interest from a huge array of actors such as China, India, and Brazil. It also considers the question of aid and the concept of pan-Africanism.

8. Democracy in Africa

Modern Africa’s first formalized liberal democracies came with various legislatures left behind by the colonialists. Yet soon after independence, most new African leaders enforced their own imprints on the states, restructuring, even abolishing, the various institutions they controlled, suggesting them to be colonial burdens inappropriate for African conditions. One-party systems of government became the norm. ‘Democracy in Africa’ discusses the wave of democratization beginning in the 1990s and the introduction of multiparty elections. The quality of Africa’s democracies is, however, uneven; despite political changes, the entrenchment of democratic values remains shallow and compromised. However, some progress has been made: around one-quarter of African states are now ‘free’.

2. Pre-colonial political systems and colonialism

Pre-colonial Africa had a wide diversity of politics and government, all related to the type of economic systems practised. Hunter-gatherers practised a form of primitive communism, while elsewhere three broad systems may be identified: large centralized kingdoms and empires; centralized mid-sized kingdoms; and widely scattered chiefdoms. ‘Pre-colonial political systems and colonialism’ explains that political and social identities were generally more related to affiliations, such as sharing a common language, than to being an inhabitant of a particular territory. It also outlines the impact of the slave trade, which began in the 15th century, and the different types of late-19th-century colonial rule on the African people and their politics.