In this respect, they complement official courts that are often unable to provide court services to all their rural communities. Such a transformation would render traditional institutions dispensable. An analytical study and impact of colonialism on pre-colonial centralized and decentralized African Traditional and Political Systems. 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. They also serve as guardians and symbols of cultural values and practices. 15 Facts on African Religions The Interfaith Observer Africas geopolitical environment is shaped by Africans to a considerable degree. Governance: Why democracy is failing in Africa - GhanaWeb However, their participation in the electoral process has not enabled them to influence policy, protect their customary land rights, and secure access to public services that would help them overcome their deprivation. Government: A Multifarious Concept 1.2. Beyond the traditional sector, traditional institutions also have important attributes that can benefit formal institutions. Still another form of legitimacy in Africa sometimes derives from traditional political systems based on some form of kingship. Many of the chieftaincy systems, such as those in much of South Africa, the Asantehene of the Ashanti of Ghana, the Tswana of Botswana, and the Busoga of Uganda seem to fall within this category. This short article does not attempt to provide answers to all these questions, which require extensive empirical study. An election bound to be held in the year 2019 will unveil the new . Note: The term rural population is used as a proxy for the population operating under traditional economic systems. This theme, which is further developed below, is especially critical bearing in mind that Africa is the worlds most ethnically complex region, home to 20 of the worlds most diverse countries in terms of ethnic composition.8. Your gift helps advance ideas that promote a free society. Precolonial Political Systems - African Studies - Oxford Bibliographies Only four states in AfricaBotswana, Gambia, Mauritius, and Senegalretained multiparty systems. By the mid-1970s, the military held power in one-third of the nations of sub-Saharan Africa. Ehret 2002 emphasizes the diversity and long history of precolonial social and political formations, whereas Curtin, et al. . Democratic and dictatorial regimes both vest their authority in one person or a few individuals. Land privatization is, thus, unworkable in pastoral communities, as communal land ownership would be unworkable in a capitalist economy. Africa's tumultuous political history has resulted in extreme disparities between the wealth and stability of its countries. There is a basic distinction between those systems with a centralized authority exercised through the machinery of government and those without any such authority in which . African political systems are described in a number of textbooks and general books on African history. (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. In sum, the digitization of African politics raises real challenges for political leaders and has the potential to increase their determination to digitize their own tools of political control. The Political History of Africa: The Pre-Colonial Era - African Keywords: Legal Pluralism, African Customary Law, Traditional Leadership, Chieftaincy, Formal Legal System Relationship With, Human Rights, Traditional Norms, Suggested Citation: As a result, they are not dispensable as long as the traditional economic systems endure. Since then, many more have been formulated, but the main themes and ideas have remained. 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. Many other countries have non-centralized elder-based traditional institutions. The result is transitory resilience of the regime, but shaky political stability, declining cohesion, and eventual conflict or violent change. In this context the chapter further touches on the compatibility of the institution of chieftaincy with constitutional principles such as equality, accountability, natural justice, good governance, and respect for fundamental human rights. Some African nations are prosperous while others struggle. The leaders in this system have significant powers, as they often are custodians of their communitys land and they dispense justice in their courts. 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. By the mid-1970s, the politics of Africa had turned authoritarian. Command economies, as opposed to free-market economies, do not allow market forces like supply and demand to determine production or prices. Traditional African Religions - The Spiritual Life The formal institutions of checks and balances and accountability of leaders to the population are rather weak in this system. The quality and durability of such leader-defined adaptive resilience cannot be assured and can be reversed unless the associated norms become institutionalized. The African Charter embodies some of the human . President Muhammadu Buhari is currently the federal head of state and government. Chieftaincy is further plagued with its own internal problems, including issues of relevance, succession, patriarchy, jurisdiction, corruption and intra-tribal conflict. By Sulayman Sanneh Date: September 10th, 2021. fIntroduction Africa is a vast and . The population in the traditional system thus faces a vicious cycle of deprivation. The Chinese understand the basics. The council system of the Berbers in Northern Africa also falls within this category (UNECA, 2007). Invented chiefs and state-paid elders: These were chiefs imposed by the colonial state on decentralized communities without centralized authority systems. (PDF) INDIGENOUS AFRICAN POLITICAL SYSTEMS - Academia.edu This kind of offences that attract capital punishment is usually . Traditional institutions have continued to metamorphose under the postcolonial state, as Africas socioeconomic systems continue to evolve. One layer represents the formal institutions (laws) of the state. Traditional affairs | South African Government 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. Under the circumstances, it becomes critical that traditional leaders are directly involved in local governance so that they protect the interests of their communities. The kings and chiefs of Angola and Asante, for example, allowed European merchants to send their representatives to their courts. These circumstances can generate an authoritarian reflex and the temptation to circle the wagons against all sources of potential opposition. Before delving into the inquiry, clarification of some issues would be helpful in avoiding confusion. Among them were those in Ethiopia, Morocco, Swaziland, and Lesotho. Traditional institutions already adjudicate undisclosed but large proportions of rural disputes. Three layers of institutions characterize most African countries. One of these is the potential influence exerted by the regions leading states, measured in terms of size, population, economic weight, and overall political clout and leadership prestige. Introduction: The Meaning of the Concept Government 1.1. Government and Political Systems. Space opened up for African citizens and civil society movements, while incumbent regimes were no longer able to rely on assured support from erstwhile external partners. At times, these traditional security system elements are sufficient enough for some uses, but there's certainly no denying . Indigenous education is a process of passing the inherited knowledge, skills, cultural traditions norms and values of the tribe, among the tribal member from one generation to another Mushi (2009). The colonial system constitutes the second section. In Botswana, for example, the consensual decision-making process in the kgotla (public meeting) regulates the power of the chiefs. Council of elders: These systems essentially operate on consensual decision-making arrangements that vary from one place to another. It is also highly unlikely that such broader aspects of traditional institutions can be eliminated without transforming the traditional modes of production that foster them. 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. In this regard, the president is both the head of state and government, and there are three arms and tiers of rules by which the country is ruled. Africa contains more sovereign nations than any other continent, with 54 countries compared to Asia's 47. In many cases European or Islamic legal traditions have replaced or significantly modified traditional African ones. The traditional justice system, thus, does not have the power to grant any rights beyond the local level. This is in part because the role of traditional leaders has changed over time. African Governance: Challenges and Their Implications. 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. The initial constitutions and legal systems were derived from the terminal colonial era. 1995 focuses on social, economic, and intellectual trends up to the end of the colonial era. African political elites are more determined than ever to shape their own destiny, and they are doing so. 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. Traditional Governance Systems - Participedia 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. Paramount chiefs: Another category of leadership structure is that of hereditary paramount chieftaincy with various traditional titles and various levels of accountability. Customary law, for example, does not protect communities from violations of their customary land rights through land-taking by the state. Other governance systems in the post-independence era and their unique features, if any. Legitimate authority, in turn, is based on accepted laws and norms rather than the arbitrary, unconstrained power of the rulers. African Solutions for African Problems - The Real Meaning In many cases, the invented chieftaincies were unsuccessful in displacing the consensus-based governance structures (Gartrell, 1983; Uwazie, 1994). Against this backdrop, where is African governance headed? The Aqils (elders) of Somalia and the chiefs in Kenya are good examples. Since institutional fragmentation is a major obstacle to nation-building and democratization, it is imperative that African countries address it and forge institutional harmony. For Acemoglu and Robinson, such turning points occur in specific, unique historical circumstances that arise in a societys development. Regional governance comes into play here, and certain precedents may get set and then ratified by regional or sub-regional organizations. However, they do not have custodianship of land and they generally do not dispense justice on their own. A second attribute is the participatory decision-making system. Rule that is based on predation and political monopoly is unlikely to enjoy genuine popular legitimacy, but it can linger for decades unless there are effective countervailing institutions and power centers. Pre-Colonial Period in Ghana | Pre-Colonial Political Systems Learn more about joining the community of supporters and scholars working together to advance Hoovers mission and values. PDF Traditional Systems of Communication in Nigeria They are the key players in providing judicial service and in conflict management in much of rural Africa. Others choose the traditional institutions, for example, in settling disputes because of lower transactional costs. One layer represents the formal institutions (laws) of the state. To sum up, traditional institutions provide vital governance services to communities that operate under traditional socioeconomic spaces. While traditional institutions remain indispensable for the communities operating under traditional economic systems, they also represent institutional fragmentation, although the underlying factor for fragmentation is the prevailing dichotomy of economic systems. The Pre-Colonial Period: From the Ashes of Pharaohs to the Berlin Conference At the end of the prehistoric period (10 000 BC), some African nomadic bands began to Basing key political decisions on broad societal and inter-party consensus may help to de-escalate cutthroat competition that often leads to violent conflicts. 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. Music is a form of communication and it plays a functional role in African society . Introduction. In addition, according to Chirayath et al. Less than 20% of Africa's states achieved statehood following rebellion or armed insurgency; in the others, independence flowed from . Our data indicate that traditional leaders, chiefs and elders clearly still play an important role in the lives 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. A third pattern flows from the authoritarian reflex where big men operate arbitrary political machines, often behind a thin democratic veneer. The traditional Africa system of government is open and inclusive, where strangers, foreigners and even slaves could participate in the decision-making process. You cant impose middle class values on a pre-industrial society.13. Although much has been lost in the shadows and fogs of a time before people created written accounts, historians . by the Board of Trustees of Leland Stanford Junior University. A command economy, also known as a planned economy, is one in which the central government plans, organizes, and controls all economic activities to maximize social welfare. Different property rights laws are a notable source of conflict in many African countries. THE FUTURE OF AFRICAN CUSTOMARY LAW, Fenrich, Galizzi, Higgins, eds., Cambridge University Press, 2011, Available at SSRN: If you need immediate assistance, call 877-SSRNHelp (877 777 6435) in the United States, or +1 212 448 2500 outside of the United States, 8:30AM to 6:00PM U.S. Eastern, Monday - Friday. The features associated with this new form of governmental administration deal with smaller government responsibility for providing goods and services. The Constitution states that the institution, status and roles of traditional leadership, according to customary law, are recognised. 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. Judicial marginalization: Another challenge posed by institutional fragmentation relates to marginalization of the traditional system within the formal legal system. On the opposite side are the decentralized systems, led by a council of elders, that command little formal power. 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. Admittedly, the problem is by no means uniquely African, but it is very commonly experienced in Africa. Democracy and Consensus in African Traditional Politics: a Plea - Jstor Strictly speaking, Ghana was the title of the King, but the Arabs, who left records . Rather, they often rely on voluntary compliance, although they also apply some soft power to discourage noncompliance by members with customary laws. Before then, traditional authorities essentially provided leadership for the various communities and kingdoms. In general, decentralized political systems, which are often elder-based with group leadership, have received little attention, even though these systems are widespread and have the institutions of judicial systems and mechanisms of conflict resolution and allocation of resources, like the institutions of the centralized systems. A look at the economic systems of the adherents of the two institutional systems also gives a good indication of the relations between economic and institutional systems. They dispense justice, resolve conflicts, and enforce contracts, even though such services are conducted in different ways in different authority systems. 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). Furthermore, for generations, Africans were taught the Western notion of the tribe as . With the dawn of colonialism in Africa, the traditional African government was sys-tematically weakened, and the strong and influential bond between traditional lead- . Three layers of institutions characterize most African countries. Consequently, national and regional governance factors interact continuously. Gadaa as an Alternative Understanding of Democracy in Africa Virtually every group was involved in the . African indigenous education was. However, their endurance, along with that of traditional economic systems, have fostered institutional fragmentation, which has serious adverse effects on Africas governance and economic development. The means by which the traditional government reached out to her subjects varied from sounds, signs to symbol, and the central disseminator was the "town crier". 28, (1984) pp. In Igbo land for example the system of government was quite unique and transcends the democracy of America and Europe. With its eminent scholars and world-renowned library and archives, the Hoover Institution seeks to improve the human condition by advancing ideas that promote economic opportunity and prosperity, while securing and safeguarding peace for America and all mankind. One can identify five bases of regime legitimacy in the African context today. The government system is a republic; the chief of state and head of government is the president. The usual plethora of bour- Even so, customary law still exerts a strong . South Africa: Introduction >> globalEDGE: Your source for Global 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. Under the terms of the licence agreement, an individual user may print out a single article for personal use (for details see Privacy Policy and Legal Notice). 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. The traditional African religions (or traditional beliefs and practices of African people) are a set of highly diverse beliefs that include various ethnic religions . This page was processed by aws-apollo-l2 in. The political history of Africa begins with the emergence of hominids, archaic humans andat least 200,000 years agoanatomically modern humans (Homo sapiens), in East Africa, and continues unbroken into the present as a patchwork of diverse and politically developing nation states. One scholar specializing on the Horn of Africa likens the situation a political marketplace in which politics and violence are simply options along the spectrum pursued by powerful actors.5. Differences and Similarities Between a Democracy and a Republic Another reason is that African leaders of the postcolonial state, who wanted to consolidate their power, did not want other points of power that would compromise their control. Pre-colonial Political System In Nigeria (Yoruba Traditional System) More frequently, this form of rule operates at the sub-state level as in the case of the emir of Kano or the Sultan of Sokoto in Nigeria or the former royal establishments of the Baganda (Uganda) or the Ashanti (Ghana). Another measure is recognition of customary law and traditional judicial systems by the state. 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. Features of Yoruba Pre colonial Administration - Bscholarly The post-colonial State, on the other hand . Nation, Tribe and Ethnic Group in Africa | Cultural Survival 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. Paramount chieftaincy as a system of local government 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. PDF African Governance Systems in the Pre and Post-Independence Periods 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 Dutch dispatched an embassy to the Asantehene's . 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. The chapter further examines the dabbling of traditional leaders in the political process in spite of the proscription of the institution from mainstream politics and, in this context, analyzes the policy rationale for attempting to detach chieftaincy from partisan politics. 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 To complicate matters further, the role of traditional institutions is likely to be critical in addressing the problem of institutional fragmentation. Almost at a stroke, the relationships between African governments and the major powers and major sources of concessional finance were upended, while political liberalization in the former Soviet bloc helped to trigger global political shock waves. The endurance of traditional institutions entails complex and paradoxical implications for contemporary Africas governance. As Mamdani has argued, understanding the role of traditional leadership and customary law in contemporary African societies requires us to understand its history. The long-term, global pushback by the leading authoritarian powers against liberal governance norms has consequences in Africa and other regions as governments directly act to close the space for civil society to operate. In new countries such as most of those in Africa,7 where the rule of law is in competition with the rule of men, leaders play a strikingly critical role, for good or ill. Today, the five most common government systems include democracy, republic, monarchy, communism and . Another basic question is, whom to include? Abstract. Enlightened leaders face a more complex version of the same challenge: how to find and mobilize the resources for broad-based inclusiveness? Paramount chiefs with rather weak system of accountability: The Buganda of Uganda and the Nupe in Nigeria are good examples. This outline leads us to examine more closely the sources of legitimacy in African governance systems. The laws and legal systems of Africa have developed from three distinct legal traditions: traditional or customary African law, Islamic law, and the legal systems of Western Europe.