Africa in search of democracy: Contemporary perspectives

Abstract

Contemporary African societies are still struggling not only with transitioning to democracy but more importantly consolidating the gains of democracy and strengthening principal democratic values and institutions. The erosion of democratic values and the weakening of democratic institutions in some countries, the frequent coup d'état and toppling of democratically elected governments coupled with violence during elections, the lack of proper representation of the people in parliaments and governments, and the curtailment of the open participation of the people in democratic processes-all attest to Africa's struggles with deepening and strengthening democracy on the continent.In the analysis of some African thinkers, like Kwasi Wiredu, Africa's problems with democracy can be traceable to the form or type of democracy that it inherited from the colonial powers after independence, and that a more authentic and suitable form of democracy for Africa is one that is both rooted in the indigenous political practices of pre-colonial African societies and fashioned according to African political values and ideals.