Selected chiefs, elected councillors and hybrid democrats: popular perspectives on the co-existence of democracy and traditional authority

Abstract

The long-standing debate about the proper role for Africa's traditional leaders in contemporary politics has intensified in the last two decades, as efforts to foster democratisation and decentralisation have brought competing claims to power and legitimacy to the fore, especially at the local level. Questions persist as to whether traditional authority and democratic governance are ultimately compatible or contradictory. Can the two be blended into viable and effective hybrid systems? Or do the potentially anti-democratic features of traditional systems present insurmountable obstacles to an acceptable model of integration? Survey data collected by the Afrobarometer indicate that Africans who live under these dual systems of authority do not draw as sharp a distinction between hereditary chiefs and elected local government officials as most analysts would expect. In fact, popular evaluations of selected and elected leaders are strongly andpositivelylinked. They appear to be consistently shaped by each individual's ‘leadership affect’, and by an understanding of chiefs and elected officials as common players in a single, integrated political system, rather than as opponents in a sharply bifurcated one. Moreover, there is no evident conflict between supporting traditional leadership and being a committed and active democrat. Rather than finding themselves trapped between two competing spheres of political authority, Africans appear to have adapted to the hybridisation of their political institutions more seamlessly than many have anticipated or assumed.

Resources, conflict and governance: A critical review

“…Some scholars argue that the emergence of alternative or hybrid forms of governance is a positive evolution, which may help to fill some of the gaps created by the malfunctioning or absence of formal state institutions (Menkhaus, 2006;Moe, 2009;Trefon and Cogels, 2006;Logan, 2009;Crook and Booth, 2011;Boege et al, 2009). Others state that these hybrid governance frameworks may contribute to the erosion of formal institutional arrangements established by the state (Menocal et al, 2008;Schmid, 2001).…”

Chiefs: Elite Control of Civil Society and Economic Development in Sierra Leone

“…Out of this perspective would also follow a "chiefs as representatives" view of chiefs, which portrays them as responsive to local demands and needs, and is supported by some evidence from the African context. Logan (2009Logan ( , 2011, for instance, shows that traditional authorities enjoy considerable support from their people. In the AFRObarometer surveys she studies, 58% of respondents agree that "the amount of influence traditional leaders have in governing your local community should increase".…”

Chiefly Power in a Frontline State: Kgosi Linchwe II, the Bakgatla and Botswana in the South African Liberation Struggle, 1948–1994

“…72 The separation of chiefly authority and electoral politics was held to be essential in order to protect the free exercise of the franchise by an electorate new to the democratic process and accustomed to the hereditary rule of chiefs. 73 Having stood down as Bamangwato kgosi during the crisis surrounding his marriage, the way was clear for Seretse Khama, as leader of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), to become the first President of the Republic. Kgosi Bathoen II of the Bangwaketse similarly gave up his role to join the main opposition party, the Botswana National Front (BNF).…”