The three countries have pursued rather different strategies of reconciling their institutional systems and it remains to be seen if any of their strategies will deliver the expected results, although all three countries have already registered some progress in reducing conflicts and in advancing the democratization process relative to countries around them. Relevance of African traditional institutions of Governance Thus, despite abolition efforts by postcolonial states and the arguments against the traditional institutions in the literature, the systems endure and remain rather indispensable for the communities in traditional economic systems. Yet, the traditional judicial system in most cases operates outside of the states institutional framework. The council of elders, religious leaders, and administrative staff of the chiefs exercise checks on the power of the leaders and keep them accountable (Beattie, 1967; Busia, 1968; Coplan & Quinlan, 1997; Jones, 1983; Osaghae, 1989). 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). Legitimate authority, in turn, is based on accepted laws and norms rather than the arbitrary, unconstrained power of the rulers. THE FUTURE OF AFRICAN CUSTOMARY LAW, Fenrich, Galizzi, Higgins, eds., Cambridge University Press, 2011, 27 Pages 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. A second attribute is the participatory decision-making system. One is the controversy over what constitutes traditional institutions and if the African institutions referred to as traditional in this inquiry are truly indigenous traditions, since colonialism as well as the postcolonial state have altered them notably, as Zack-Williams (2002) and Kilson (1966) observe. The size and intensity of adherence to the traditional economic and institutional systems, however, vary from country to country. 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. Indigenous African Education - 2392 Words | Studymode 17-19 1.6. 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. In a few easy steps create an account and receive the most recent analysis from Hoover fellows tailored to your specific policy interests. Ten years later, in 2017, the number of conflicts was 18, taking place in 13 different countries. Discuss any similarities between the key features of the fourth There are very few similarities between democracy and dictatorship. Such adjustments, however, may require contextualization of the institutions of democracy by adjusting these institutions to reflect African realities. The third section deals with the post-colonial period and discusses some problems associated with African administration. As a result, customary law, which often is not recognized by the state or is recognized only when it does not contradict the constitution, does not protect communities from possible transgressions by the state. Institutions represent an enduring collection of formal laws and informal rules, customs, codes of conduct, and organized practices that shape human behavior and interaction. Beyond the traditional sector, traditional institutions also have important attributes that can benefit formal institutions. Roughly 80% of rural populations in selected research sites in Ethiopia, for example, say that they rely on traditional institutions to settle disputes, while the figure is around 65% in research sites in Kenya (Mengisteab & Hagg, 2017). All the characteristic features of a traditional society are, for obvious reasons, reflected in the education system. Relatively unfettered access to the internet via smart phones and laptops brings informationand hence potential powerto individuals and groups about all kinds of things: e.g., market prices, the views of relatives in the diaspora, conditions in the country next door, and the self-enrichment of corrupt officials. General Overviews. The essay concludes with a sobering reflection on the challenge of achieving resilient governance. Consequently, national and regional governance factors interact continuously. Government and the Political System 2.1. Based on existing evidence, the authority systems in postcolonial Africa lie in a continuum between two polar points. He served as assistant secretary of state for African affairs from 1981 to 1989. However, they are not merely customs and norms; rather they are systems of governance, which were formal in precolonial times and continue to exist in a semiformal manner in some countries and in an informal manner in others.1. Somalilands strategy has brought traditional leaders into an active role in the countrys formal governance by creating an upper house in parliament, the Guurti, where traditional leaders exercise the power of approving all bills drafted by the lower house of parliament. Africas geopolitical environment is shaped by Africans to a considerable degree. The balance of power between official and non-official actors will likely shift, as networked activists assert their ability to organize and take to the streets on behalf of diverse causes. They succeed when there are political conditions that permit a broad coalition to impose pluralist political institutions and limits and restraints on ruling elites.20 Thus, resilience of both state and society may hinge in the end on the rule of law replacing the rule of men. 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. Despite the adoption of constitutional term limits in many African countries during the 1990s, such restrictions have been reversed or defied in at least 15 countries since 2000, according to a recent report.6, The conflict-governance link takes various forms, and it points to the centrality of the variable of leadership. However, they are not merely customs and norms; rather they are systems of governance, which were formal in precolonial times and continue to exist in a semiformal manner in some countries and in an informal manner in others. 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. Building an inclusive political system also raises the question of what levels of the society to include and how to assure that local communities as well as groups operating at the national level can get their voices heard. Although much has been lost in the shadows and fogs of a time before people created written accounts, historians . With the dawn of colonialism in Africa, the traditional African government was sys-tematically weakened, and the strong and influential bond between traditional lead- . On the one hand, they recognize the need for strong, responsive state institutions; weak, fragile states do not lead to good governance. not because of, the unique features of US democracy . As a result, it becomes highly complex to analyze their roles and structures without specifying the time frame. Broadly speaking, indigenous systems of governance are those that were practiced by local populations in pre-colonial times. Because these governmental institutions reject the indigenous political systems on which African society was built, they have generally failed to bring political . 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 . Hoover Education Success Initiative | The Papers. The scope of the article is limited to an attempt to explain how the endurance of African traditional institutions is related to the continents economic systems and to shed light on the implications of fragmented institutional systems. Council of elders: These systems essentially operate on consensual decision-making arrangements that vary from one place to another. 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. Module Ten, Activity Two - Exploring Africa The traditional and informal justice systems, it is argued offers greater access to justice. 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 . Within this spectrum, some eight types of leadership structures can be identified. Misguided policies at the national level combined with cultural constraints facing these social groups may increase exclusion and create seeds of future trouble. His dramatic tenure since April of 2018 appears to be shaking up the states creaky authoritarian services and creating the space for important adaptations such as ending a long-standing state of emergency, freeing political prisoners, reaching out to a wide range of foreign partners, and extending the olive branch to Eritrea with whom Ethiopia had fought a costly war. The movement towards a formal state system is characterized by its emphasis on retribution and punishment. Basing key political decisions on broad societal and inter-party consensus may help to de-escalate cutthroat competition that often leads to violent conflicts. Virtually every group was involved in the . Decision making is generally participatory and often consensus-based. Interestingly, small and mid-size state leaders have won the award so far.) 134-141. In light of this discussion of types of inclusion, the implications for dealing with state fragility and building greater resilience can now be spelled out. for a democratic system of government. At times, devolution has had major fiscal and governance consequences, including serving as a vehicle for co-option and corruption. One-sided violence against unarmed civilians has also spiked up since 2011.4, These numbers require three major points of clarification. An analytical study and impact of colonialism on pre-colonial centralized and decentralized African Traditional and Political Systems. There were several reasons for such measures. Presently, Nigeria practices the federal system. In this paper, I look first at the emergence of the African state system historically, including colonial legacies and the Cold Wars impact on governance dynamics. 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. Recent developments add further complications to the region: (a) the collapse of Libya after 2011, spreading large quantities of arms and trained fighters across the broader Sahel region; (b) the gradual toll of desertification placing severe pressure on traditional herder/farmer relationships in places like Sudan and Nigeria; and, (c) the proliferation of local IS or Al Qaeda franchises in remote, under-governed spaces. Understanding the Gadaa System. Traditional affairs. (PDF) The role and significance of traditional leadership in the For example, is it more effective to negotiate a power-sharing pact among key parties and social groups (as in Kenya) or is there possible merit in a periodic national dialogue to address issues that risk triggering conflict? African Traditions - Centuries of African heritage - Victoria Falls Guide It assigned them new roles while stripping away some of their traditional roles. In most African countries, constitutionally established authorities exercise the power of government alongside traditional authorities. According to this analysis, Africas traditional institutional systems are likely to endure as long as the traditional subsistent economic systems continue to exist. Some regimes seem resilient because of their apparent staying power but actually have a narrow base of (typically ethnic or regional) support. The population in the traditional system thus faces a vicious cycle of deprivation. Non-official institutions and civil society may have very different ideas from the national government on this issue, leading to debates about legitimacy. Judicial marginalization: Another challenge posed by institutional fragmentation relates to marginalization of the traditional system within the formal legal system. PDF Traditional Systems of Communication in Nigeria Posted: 12 May 2011. (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. 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. The earliest known recorded history arose in Ancient Egypt . Botswanas strategy has largely revolved around integrating parallel judicial systems. Learn more about joining the community of supporters and scholars working together to advance Hoovers mission and values. Government: A Multifarious Concept 1.2. While comprehensive empirical studies on the magnitude of adherence to traditional institutions are lacking, some studies point out that most people in rural areas prefer the judicial service provided by traditional institutions to those of the state, for a variety of reasons (Logan, 2011; Mengisteab & Hagg, 2017). Executive, legislative, and judicial functions are generally attributed by most modern African constitutions to presidents and prime ministers, parliaments, and modern judiciaries. This point links the reader to the other Africa chapters that have been prepared for this project. Institutional systems emanate from the broader economic and political systems, although they also affect the performance of the economic and political systems. PDF The Political Ideology of Indigenous African Political Systems and State Systems in Pre-colonial, Colonial and Post-colonial - Jstor Governance: Why democracy is failing in Africa - GhanaWeb The Boundaries of Tradition: An Examination of the Traditional As a result, they are not dispensable as long as the traditional economic systems endure. 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). Music is a form of communication and it plays a functional role in African society . 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. African states, along with Asian, Middle Eastern, and even European governments, have all been affected. Among the key challenges associated with institutional fragmentation are the following: Policy incoherence: Fragmented economies and institutions represent dichotomous socioeconomic spaces, which makes it highly challenging for policy to address equitably the interests of the populations in these separate socioeconomic spaces. 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. They are less concerned with doctrines and much more so with rituals . Such a consensus-building mechanism can help resolve many of the conflicts related to diversity management and nation-building. Most of the states that had attempted to abolish chieftaincy have retracted the abolitionist decrees and reinstated chiefs. List of African Union member states by political system 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. On the opposite side are the decentralized systems, led by a council of elders, that command little formal power. Traditional African religions are less of faith traditions and more of lived traditions. The same factors that hinder nation-building hinder democratization. The geography of South Africa is vast scrubland in the interior, the Namib Desert in the northwest, and tropics in the southeast. You cant impose middle class values on a pre-industrial society.13. The council system of the Berbers in Northern Africa also falls within this category (UNECA, 2007). Cold War geopolitics reinforced in some ways the state-society gap as the global rivalry tended to favor African incumbents and frequently assured they would receive significant assistance from external powers seeking to build diplomatic ties with the new states. African Traditional Political System and Institution: University of The Gambia, Faculty of humanities and social sciences. Poor gender relations: Traditional institutions share some common weaknesses. These include macro variables such as educational access (especially for women), climate change impact and mitigation, development and income growth rates, demographic trends, internet access, urbanization rates, and conflict events. Settling a case in an official court, for example, may involve long-distance travel for villagers and it may require lawyers, translators, a long wait, and court fees, while a traditional court rarely involves such costs and inconveniences. 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,