Civil Society, NGOs, and Human Rights in Africa

Abstract

This chapter discusses the involvement of African civil society with the thorny human rights issues that are emerging in various African societies. Western civil society has become one of the key factors in evaluating modern democracies, and Africa is not an exception in regarding the presence of thriving NGOs as a sign of a flourishing civil society. The region adopted the universally acknowledged human rights discourses to push for social change. Yet civil society in Africa operates in an environment that is not conducive to its thriving. The lack of democracy and the prevalence of authoritarianism and conservatism make it difficult for a genuine civil society to emerge. Even though Africa otherwise has a dynamic associational life, it could not give birth to a proper civil society. The chapter reflects on the diversity of African civil society activism in Africa and the various uses of human rights discourses to bring about policy reforms.