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.
Pre-colonial Political System In Nigeria (Yoruba Traditional System) Music is a form of communication and it plays a functional role in African society .
Traditional Political Ideas, Values, and Practices: Their Status in the The first three parts deal with the principal objectives of the article. African countries are characterized by fragmentation of various aspects of their political economy, including their institutions of governance. The African state system has gradually developed a stronger indigenous quality only in the last twenty-five years or so. It is also challenging to map them out without specifying their time frame. Africas rural communities, which largely operate under subsistent economic systems, overwhelmingly adhere to the traditional institutional systems while urban communities essentially follow the formal institutional systems, although there are people who negotiate the two institutional systems in their daily lives. A long-term route to political and economic success has been comprehensively documented by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson in their global study of why nations fail or succeed. 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. In Sierra Leone, for example, approximately 85% of the population falls under the jurisdiction of customary law, defined under the constitution as the rules of law which, by custom, are applicable to particular communities in Sierra Leone. Political and economic inclusion is the companion requirement for effective and legitimate governance. Institutions represent an enduring collection of formal laws and informal rules, customs, codes of conduct, and organized practices that shape human behavior and interaction. The customary structures of governance of traditional leadership were put aside or transformed. Since institutional fragmentation is a major obstacle to nation-building and democratization, it is imperative that African countries address it and forge institutional harmony. Seeming preference for Democracy in Africa over other governance systems in Africa before and after independence 15-17 1.5. They are the key players in providing judicial service and in conflict management in much of rural Africa.
Traditional affairs | South African Government This layer of institutions is the subject of inquiry of this article. 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.
Pre-Colonial Period in Ghana | Pre-Colonial Political Systems African Governance: Challenges and Their Implications. Womens inequality in the traditional system is related, at least in part, to age- and gender-based divisions of labor characterizing traditional economic systems.
What Are the Weaknesses of Traditional Security Systems? Government and the Political System 2.1. 17-19 1.6. 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. 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 indigenous political system had some democratic features. A third, less often recognized base of legitimacy can be called conventional African diplomatic legitimacy wherein a governmenthowever imperfectly establishedis no more imperfect than the standard established by its regional neighbors. Chief among them is that they remain key players in governing and providing various types of service in the traditional sector of the economy because of their compatibility with that economic system. Basing key political decisions on broad societal and inter-party consensus may help to de-escalate cutthroat competition that often leads to violent conflicts. The political systems of most African nations are based on forms of government put in place by colonial authorities during the era of European rule. The same technology vectors can also empower criminal, trafficking, and terrorist networks, all of which pose threats to state sovereignty. 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. Paramount chieftaincy is a traditional system of local government and an integral element of governance in some African countries such as Sierra Leone, Ghana, Liberia and Ivory Coast. Different property rights laws are a notable source of conflict in many African countries. The traditional and informal justice systems, it is argued offers greater access to justice. The first objective of the article is to shed light on the socioeconomic foundations for the resilience of Africas traditional institutions.
The Role of Traditional Leaders in Post Independence Countries Botswana Such adjustments, however, may require contextualization of the institutions of democracy by adjusting these institutions to reflect African realities. 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. 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. Another common feature is the involvement of traditional authorities in the governance process, at least at the local level. Although much has been lost in the shadows and fogs of a time before people created written accounts, historians .
PDF Traditional Systems of Communication in Nigeria A Long Journey: The Bantu Migrations. The kings and chiefs of Angola and Asante, for example, allowed European merchants to send their representatives to their courts. Africas economic systems range from a modestly advanced capitalist system, symbolized by modern banking and stock markets, to traditional economic systems, represented by subsistent peasant and pastoral systems.
Types of government practiced in Nigeria, from monarchy to democracy Similarly, the process of conflict resolution is undertaken in an open assembly and is intended to reconcile parties in conflict rather than to merely punish offenders. With respect to their relevance, traditional institutions remain indispensable for several reasons. Often women are excluded from participation in decision making, especially in patrilineal social systems. A third pattern flows from the authoritarian reflex where big men operate arbitrary political machines, often behind a thin democratic veneer. This section grapples with the questions of whether traditional institutions are relevant in the governance of contemporary Africa and what implications their endurance has on Africas socioeconomic development. Note that Maine and . 1.4.
Traditional Governance Systems - Participedia It seems clear that Africas conflict burden declined steadily after the mid-1990s through the mid-2000s owing to successful peace processes outstripping the outbreak of new conflicts; but the burden has been spiking up again since then. This enhanced his authority. Uneven access to public services, such as educational, health, and communication services, and the disproportionately high poverty rates in the traditional sector are manifestations of the sectors marginalization. Any insurrection by a segment of the population has the potential to bring about not only the downfall of governments but also the collapse of the entire apparatus of the state because the popular foundation of the African state is weak. Such chiefs also have rather limited powers. Extensive survey research is required to estimate the size of adherents to traditional institutions. The formal institutions of checks and balances and accountability of leaders to the population are rather weak in this system. Judicial Administration. Reconciling the parallel institutional systems is also unlikely to deliver the intended results in a short time; however, there may not be any better alternatives. Government: A Multifarious Concept 1.2. .
Discuss any similarities between the key features of the fourth Freedom Houses ratings see a pattern of decline since 2005 and note that 10 out of 25 countries (worldwide) with declining ratings are in Africa. During the colonial period, "tribe" was used to identify specific cultural and political groups in much the same way as "nation" is defined above. 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. Prominent among these Sudanic states was the Soninke Kingdom of Ancient Ghana. Others choose the traditional institutions, for example, in settling disputes because of lower transactional costs. The essay concludes with a sobering reflection on the challenge of achieving resilient governance. Executive, legislative, and judicial functions are generally attributed by most modern African constitutions to presidents and prime ministers, parliaments, and modern judiciaries. 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). The swing against western norms was captured in an interview with Ugandas repeatedly re-elected president Yoweri Museveni who remarked How can you have structural adjustment without electricity? Institutions represent an enduring collection of formal laws and informal rules, customs, codes of conduct, and organized practices that shape human behavior and interaction. The cases of Nigeria, Kenya, and South Sudan suggest that each case must be assessed on its own merits.
Gadaa as an Alternative Understanding of Democracy in Africa 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, Still another form of legitimacy in Africa sometimes derives from traditional political systems based on some form of kingship. Lawmaking: government makes laws to regulate the behavior of its citizens. Non-official institutions and civil society may have very different ideas from the national government on this issue, leading to debates about legitimacy. The usual plethora of bour- By 2016, 35 AU members had joined it, but less than half actually subjected themselves to being assessed. Some of these conflicts are, in reality, low-tech, sporadic skirmishes and armed attacks. However, there are customs and various arrangements that restrain their power. 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. The roles assigned to them by the colonial state came to an end, and the new state imposed its own modifications of their roles. Large countries such as the DRC, Ethiopia, and Mozambique are likely to experience pressures against centralized, authoritarian, or one-party governance (whether accompanied by real elections or not). One can identify five bases of regime legitimacy in the African context today. A third layer lies between the other two layers and is referred to in this article as traditional institutions.
African Solutions for African Problems - The Real Meaning Less than 20% of Africas states achieved statehood following rebellion or armed insurgency; in the others, independence flowed from peaceful transfers of authority from colonial officials to African political elites. Traditional African religions are less of faith traditions and more of lived traditions. A partial explanation as to why the traditional systems endure was given in the section Why African Traditional Institutions Endure. The argument in that section was that they endure primarily because they are compatible with traditional economic systems, under which large segments of the African population still operate. Allocation of resources, such as land, is also much more egalitarian under the traditional system than it is under the private ownership system in the formal state system. Executive, legislative, and judicial functions are generally attributed by most modern African constitutions to presidents and prime ministers, parliaments, and modern judiciaries. Such post-electoral pacts reflect the conclusion that stability is more important than democracy. These dynamics often lead to increased state fragility or the re-authoritarianization of once more participatory governance systems.12 The trend is sometimes, ironically, promoted by western firms and governments more interested in commercial access and getting along with existing governments than with durable political and economic development. 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?
The Political History of Africa: The Pre-Colonial Era - African Within this spectrum, some eight types of leadership structures can be identified. These include - murder, burglary, landcase, witchcraft, profaning the deities and homicide. States would be more effective in reforming the traditional judicial system if they recognized them rather than neglecting them, as often is the case. Before delving into the inquiry, clarification of some issues would be helpful in avoiding confusion. 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. Ideally, African nations will benefit when civil society respects the states role (as well as the other way around); rather than one-sided advocacy, both sides should strive to create a space for debate in order to legitimize tolerance of multiple views in society. Not surprisingly, incumbent leaders facing these challenges look to short-term military remedies and extend a welcome to military partnerswith France, the United States, and the United Nations the leading candidates. Three layers of institutions characterize most African countries. However, three countries, Botswana, Somaliland, and South Africa, have undertaken differing measures with varying levels of success. Legal norms are an integral part of the discussion about inclusivity since they affect every aspect of economic and personal life; this poses a critical question over whether individual rights or group rights take precedence in the normative hierarchy. For example, the election day itself goes more or less peacefully, the vote tabulation process is opaque or obscure, and the entire process is shaped by a pre-election playing field skewed decisively in favor of the incumbents.
African Style Democracy? - Public Seminar African traditional administrative system with bureaucratization in the emerged new states of Africa. Finally, the chapter considers the future of the institution against the background of the many issues and challenges considered.
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