The emergence of democracy in sub-saharan Africa

Résumé du document

"A nation is [therefore] a large-scale solidarity, constituted by the feeling of the sacrifices that one has made in the past and of those that one is prepared to make in the future. It presupposes a past; it is summarized, however, in the present by a tangible fact, namely, consent, the clearly expressed desire to continue a common life?, says Ernest Renan, a French philosopher and writer, at a lecture delivered at the Sorbonne, Paris, on March 11, 1882. The African population had been living under submission to the European colonizers for a long time. But the strengthening of their exploitation inherent to the World Wars led to the increase of the opposition to their submission. Thus, Africa had stared a process of decolonization; a large part of the continent gained their independence in almost fifteen years. This essay will examine how the different countries of the African continent attained democracy and how these events can be conveyed.

Extraits

[...] Furthermore, democracy leads to the restoration of Liberties, especially the freedom of the press. “Without access to information, how can a citizenry reach reasoned choices that make democratic participation meaningful?”[8]. Therefore, a string of newspapers which did not hesitate to give critics and suggestions had emerged. Caricatures of political personalities were published. For instance, in February a cartoon reproduced the Devil shaking Mobutu's hand and saying “Félicitations! Vous faites du mauvais travail sur terre!” (Congratulations! You do bad job on Earth!). [...]

[...] Indeed, a lot of improvements have to be done; several rulers have the power in its whole, imposing their dictatorship on the population. To conclude, we can wonder whether the democratization process in Africa can be considered as a necessary step for the emergence of the continent on the international scene. References Berman B., Eyoh D. and Kymlicka W. (2004) “Ethnicity & Democracy in Historical & Comparative Perspective”. Ch.1 in Berman B., Eyoh D. and Kymlicka W. Ethnicity & Democracy in Africa. James Currey, Oxford. D'Almeida-Topor H. (2003). [...]

[...] Kérékou had no other solution than to renounce the Marxist- Leninist ideology and accepted the organization of a national conference in Cotonou in February 1990. This conference, which was an important moment for the Beninese process of democratic transition, suspended the Marxist- Leninist fundamental law of 1977 and led to the writing of a new Constitution, adopted in December 1990 by referendum. Therefore, a new political order was built. Presented like a constitutional innovation, the national conference of Cotonou has served as a model for the changing and the management of the political crises. [...]

[...] http://www.cooper.edu/humanities/core/hss3/e_renan.html The Last King of Scotland realised by Kevin Macdonald. Renan E. “What is a Nation?”. http://www.cooper.edu/humanities/core/hss3/e_renan.html. Hyden G., Leslie M. and Ogundimu F. (2002). Media and Democracy in Africa. Transaction Publishers, New Brunswick Berman B., Eyoh D. and Kymlicka W. (2004) “Ethnicity & Democracy in Historical & Comparative Perspective”. Ch.1 in Berman B., Eyoh D. and Kymlicka W. Ethnicity & Democracy in Africa. [...]

[...] Indeed, half of the African countries have known a successful military coup, permitting the implantation of military regimes: “military regimes in Mali, the Central African Republic, Benin, the Congo, Ghana, Mauritania, Burundi, Burkina Faso, and until recently Niger have made a transition to some form of electoral democracy.”[4] However, the will to attain democracy and to put an end to these repetitive coups has been becoming more and more preponderant in Africa. We can distinguish the democratic systems attained by force, and the ones attained without violence. In several states, democratization was implemented in a context of ethnic or regionalist tensions, of which some degenerated into armed conflicts. The case of the Democratic Republic of Congo is a good illustration. This country, named Zaire (until 1997), was ruled from 1965 to 1997 by the colonel Mobutu Sese Seko who established a presidential-type authoritarian regime based on a one-party system. [...]