features of traditional african system of government
features of traditional african system of government
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. The analysis presented here suggests that traditional institutions are relevant in a number of areas while they are indispensable for the governance of Africas traditional economic sector, which lies on the fringes of formal state institutions. 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. Another basic question is, whom to include? Governance: Why democracy is failing in Africa - GhanaWeb 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. PDF Development of African Administration: Pre-Colonial Times and since - EOLSSTraditional Governance Systems - Participedia 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). Such chiefs also have rather limited powers. South Africa: Introduction >> globalEDGE: Your source for Global Rules of procedure were established through customs and traditions some with oral, some with written constitutions Women played active roles in the political system including holding leadership and military positions. Legitimacy based on successful predation and state capture was well known to the Plantagenets and Tudors as well as the Hapsburgs, Medicis, and Romanovs, to say nothing of the Mughal descendants of Genghis Khan.14 In this fifth model of imagined legitimacy, some African leaders operate essentially on patrimonial principles that Vladimir Putin can easily recognize (the Dos Santos era in Angola, the DRC under Mobutu and Kabila, the Eyadema, Bongo, Biya, and Obiang regimes in Togo, Gabon, Cameroon, and Equatorial Guinea, respectively).15 Such regimes may seek to perpetuate themselves by positioning wives or sons to inherit power. Beyond such macro factors, several less obvious variables seem important to the political and economic governance future of the region. Traditional African religions are not stagnant but highly dynamic and constantly reacting to various shifting influences such as old age, modernity, and technological advances. For Acemoglu and Robinson, such turning points occur in specific, unique historical circumstances that arise in a societys development. Extensive survey research is required to estimate the size of adherents to traditional institutions. 2. However, institutions are rarely static and they undergo changes induced by internal transformations of broader socioeconomic systems or by external influences or imposition, and in some cases by a combination of the two forces. 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. Differences and Similarities Between a Democracy and a Republic Ndlela (2007: 34) confirms that traditional leaders continue to enjoy their role and recognition in the new dispensation, just like in other African states; and Good (2002: 3) argues that the system of traditional leadership in Botswana exists parallel to the democratic system of government and the challenge is of forging unity. There was a lot of consultation between the elders before any major decision was made. 14 L.A. Ayinla 'African Philosophy of Law: A Critique' 151, available at The movement towards a formal state system is characterized by its emphasis on retribution and punishment. 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. South Africas strategy revolves around recognition of customary law when it does not conflict with the constitution and involves traditional authorities in local governance. 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 . Non-official institutions and civil society may have very different ideas from the national government on this issue, leading to debates about legitimacy. In many cases, the invented chieftaincies were unsuccessful in displacing the consensus-based governance structures (Gartrell, 1983; Uwazie, 1994). The African Charter embodies some of the human . During the colonial period, "tribe" was used to identify specific cultural and political groups in much the same way as "nation" is defined above. The essay concludes with a sobering reflection on the challenge of achieving resilient governance. 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. Since then, many more have been formulated, but the main themes and ideas have remained. As a result, it becomes highly complex to analyze their roles and structures without specifying the time frame. African Politics: A Very Short Introduction | Oxford Academic Problems and Purpose. There is no more critical variable than governance, for it is governance that determines whether there are durable links between the state and the society it purports to govern. A key factor in the size of adherents of rural institutions, however, seems to depend on the ratio of the population in the traditional economic systems to the total population. 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. media system, was concerned with the more systematized dissemination of information between the traditional administrative organ and the people (subjects). The end of colonialism, however, did not end institutional dichotomy, despite attempts by some postcolonial African states to abolish the traditional system, especially the chieftaincy-based authority systems. In any case, as . This study notes that in 2007 Africa saw 12 conflicts in 10 countries. State Systems in Pre-colonial, Colonial and Post-colonial - JstorThe Role and Significance of Traditional Leadership in South African According to this analysis, Africas traditional institutional systems are likely to endure as long as the traditional subsistent economic systems continue to exist. PDF The Political Ideology of Indigenous African Political Systems and Hoover scholars offer analysis of current policy challenges and provide solutions on how America can advance freedom, peace, and prosperity. This discussion leads to an analysis of African conflict trends to help identify the most conflict-burdened sub-regions and to highlight the intimate link between governance and conflict patterns. Changes in economic and political systems trigger the need for new institutional systems to manage the new economic and political systems, while endurance of economic and political systems foster durability of existing institutional systems. Table 1 shows the proportion of the population that operates under traditional economic systems in selected African countries. To learn more, visit
The usual plethora of bour- The traditional justice system, thus, does not have the power to grant any rights beyond the local level. They also serve as guardians and symbols of cultural values and practices. Yet political stability cannot be based on state power alone, except in the short run. As institutional scholars state, institutional incompatibility leads to societal conflicts by projecting different laws governing societal interactions (Eisenstadt, 1968; Helmke & Levitsky, 2004; March & Olsen, 1984; North, 1990; Olsen, 2007). 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. They are the key players in providing judicial service and in conflict management in much of rural Africa. African political systems are described in a number of textbooks and general books on African history. The origins of this institutional duality, the implications of which are discussed in Relevance and Paradox of Traditional Institutions, are largely traceable to the colonial state, as it introduced new economic and political systems and superimposed corresponding institutional systems upon the colonies without eradicating the existed traditional economic, political, and institutional systems. 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. MyHoover delivers a personalized experience atHoover.org. This is done through the enforcement agencies such as the police force. In some cases, they are also denied child custody rights. One-sided violence against unarmed civilians has also spiked up since 2011.4, These numbers require three major points of clarification. Indeed, it should be added that a high percentage of todays conflicts are recurrences of previous ones, often in slightly modified form with parties that may organize under more than one flag. Security challenges can impose tough choices on governments that may act in ways that compound the problem, opening the door to heightened risks of corruption and the slippery slope of working with criminal entities. Poor leadership can result in acts of commission or omission that alienate or disenfranchise geographically distinct communities. Ancient West Africa: Bantu Migrations & the Stateless Society The opinions expressed on this website are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Hoover Institution or Stanford University. This proposal will be subject to a referendum on the constitutional changes required.16.2e 2.4 Traditional leadership Traditional leaders are accorded But the context in which their choices are made is directly influenced by global political trends and the room for maneuver that these give to individual governments and their leaders. The council system of the Berbers in Northern Africa also falls within this category (UNECA, 2007). Types of Government in Africa - Synonym Another measure is recognition of customary law and traditional judicial systems by the state. African governance trends were transformed by the geopolitical changes that came with the end of the Cold War. The key lies in identifying the variables that will shape its context. The features associated with this new form of governmental administration deal with smaller government responsibility for providing goods and services. PDF The role and importance of the institution of traditional leadership in Among the attributes of the traditional system with such potential is the systems transparent and participatory process of resolving conflicts, which takes place in open public meetings. This category of chiefs serves their communities in various and sometimes complex roles, which includes spiritual service. Their endurance and coexistence with the institutions of the state has created an institutional dichotomy in much of Africa. Many other countries have non-centralized elder-based traditional institutions. Your gift helps advance ideas that promote a free society. Unfortunately, transforming the traditional sector is not an easy undertaking and cannot be achieved in a reasonably short time. 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). Many African countries, Ghana and Uganda, for example, have, like all other states, formal institutions of the state and informal institutions (societal norms, customs, and practices). 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. African Governance: Challenges and Their Implications. Subsequent to the colonial experience, traditional institutions may be considered to be informal institutions in the sense that they are often not sanctioned by the state. 1995 focuses on social, economic, and intellectual trends up to the end of the colonial era. Communities like the Abagusii, Ameru, Akamba, Mijikenda, and Agikuyu in Kenya had this system of government. (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. In addition, they have traditional institutions of governance of various national entities, including those surrounding the Asantehene of the Ashanti in Ghana and the Kabaka of the Buganda in Uganda. Democracy, Monarchy and Dictatorship: Types of Government Systems Communities in the traditional socioeconomic space are hardly represented in any of the organizations of the state, such as the parliament, where they can influence policy and the legal system to reflect their interests. Chiefs with limited power: Another category of chiefs is those that are hereditary, like the paramount chiefs, but have limited powers. The population in the traditional system thus faces a vicious cycle of deprivation. Although considerable differences exist among the various systems, opportunities for women to participate in decision making in most traditional systems are generally limited. Throughout our over one-hundred-year history, our work has directly led to policies that have produced greater freedom, democracy, and opportunity in the United States and the world. One is that the leaders of the postcolonial state saw traditional institutions and their leadership as archaic vestiges of the past that no longer had a place in Africas modern system of governance. Misguided policies at the national level combined with cultural constraints facing these social groups may increase exclusion and create seeds of future trouble. In most African countries, constitutionally established authorities exercise the power of government alongside traditional authorities. The fourth part draws a conclusion with a tentative proposal on how the traditional institutions might be reconciled with the formal institutions to address the problem of institutional incoherence.
Despite apparent differences, the strategies of the three countries have some common features as well that may inform other counties about the measures institutional reconciliation may entail. The pre-colonial system in Yoruba can be described to be democratic because of the inclusion of the principle of checks and balances that had been introduced in the system of administration. The colonial state, for example, invented chiefs where there were no centralized authority systems and imposed them on the decentralized traditional systems, as among the Ibo of Eastern Nigeria, the Tonga in Zambia, various communities in Kenya, and the communities in Somalia. According to the African Development Bank, good governance should be built on a foundation of (I) effective states, (ii) mobilized civil societies, and (iii) an efficient private sector. Towards a Definition of Government 1.3. African Politics - Political Science - iResearchNet Government and Political Systems. The regime in this case captures the state, co-opts the security organs, and dissolves civil society. 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. The third section deals with the post-colonial period and discusses some problems associated with African administration. The terms Afrocentrism, Afrocology, and Afrocentricity were coined in the 1980s by the African American scholar and activist Molefi Asante. 20-27, at p. 21; Carey N. Vicenti 'The re-emergence of tribal society and traditional justice systems' Judicature, Vol. Another category of chiefs is those who theoretically are subject to selection by the community. Oftentimes, however, they contradict each other, creating problems associated with institutional incoherence. Generally, these traditions are oral rather than scriptural, include belief in a supreme creator, belief in spirits, veneration of the dead, use of magic and traditional African . (PDF) The role and significance of traditional leadership in the This principle is particularly relevant for diversity management, nation-building, and democratization in contemporary Africa. Because these governmental institutions reject the indigenous political systems on which African society was built, they have generally failed to bring political . The place and role of African Youth in Pre-independence African Governance Systems 19-20 1.7. . 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. Good and inclusive governance is imperative for Africa's future Enlightened leaders face a more complex version of the same challenge: how to find and mobilize the resources for broad-based inclusiveness? One can identify five bases of regime legitimacy in the African context today.