features of traditional african system of government

Despite such changes, these institutions are referred to as traditional not because they continue to exist in an unadulterated form as they did in Africas precolonial past but because they are largely born of the precolonial political systems and are adhered to principally, although not exclusively, by the population in the traditional (subsistent) sectors of the economy. Table 1 shows the proportion of the population that operates under traditional economic systems in selected African countries. 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. Towards a Definition of Government 1.3. example of a traditional African political system. What sets Hoover apart from all other policy organizations is its status as a center of scholarly excellence, its locus as a forum of scholarly discussion of public policy, and its ability to bring the conclusions of this scholarship to a public audience. Chester A. Crocker is the James R. Schlesinger Professor of Strategic Studies at Georgetown University. 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. Oromos are one of the largest ethnic groups in sub-Saharan Africa belonging to the Cushitic-speaking peoples in Northeastern Africa in general and in modern Ethiopia and Kenya in particular. 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. Rather, they are conveners of assemblies of elders or lower level chiefs who deliberate on settlement of disputes. No doubt rural communities participate in elections, although they are hardly represented in national assemblies by people from their own socioeconomic space. for in tradi-tional African communities, politics and religion were closely associated. Large states and those with complex ethnic and geographic featurese.g., the DRC, Nigeria, Uganda, the Sudans, Ethiopiamay be especially prone to such multi-sourced violence. In a few easy steps create an account and receive the most recent analysis from Hoover fellows tailored to your specific policy interests. Pastoral economic systems, for example, foster communal land tenure systems that allow unhindered mobility of livestock, while a capitalist economic system requires a private land ownership system that excludes access to others and allows long-term investments on land. My intention in this chapter is to explore the traditional African ideas and values of politics with a view to pointing up what may be described as the democratic features of the indigenous system of government and to examine whether, and in what ways, such features can be said to be harmonious with the ethos of contemporary political culture and hence can be said to be relevant to . A strict democracy would enforce the "popular vote" total over the entire United States. There is no more critical variable than governance, for it is governance that determines whether there are durable links between the state and the society it purports to govern. As a United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) study (2007) notes, traditional leaders often operate as custodians of customary law and communal assets, especially land. If a critical mass of the leaderse.g., South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia, Cote dIvoire, Algeria, Egyptare heading in a positive direction, they will pull some others along in their wake; of course, the reverse is also true. In addition, they have traditional institutions of governance of various national entities, including those surrounding the Asantehene of the Ashanti in Ghana and the Kabaka of the Buganda in Uganda. A Sociology of Education for Africa . The debate is defined by "traditionalists" and "modernists." . 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. In this respect, they complement official courts that are often unable to provide court services to all their rural communities. With respect to their relevance, traditional institutions remain indispensable for several reasons. This proposal will be subject to a referendum on the constitutional changes required.16.2e 2.4 Traditional leadership Traditional leaders are accorded Their endurance and coexistence with the institutions of the state has created an institutional dichotomy in much of Africa. Our data indicate that traditional leaders, chiefs and elders clearly still play an important role in the lives Before then, traditional authorities essentially provided leadership for the various communities and kingdoms. Among them were those in Ethiopia, Morocco, Swaziland, and Lesotho. This category of chiefs serves their communities in various and sometimes complex roles, which includes spiritual service. The Obas and Caliphs of Nigeria and the Zulu of South Africa are other examples. Yet, the traditional judicial system in most cases operates outside of the states institutional framework. The abolishment of chieftaincy does not eradicate the systems broader underlying features, such as customary law, decision-making systems, and conflict resolution practices. Figure 1 captures this turn to authoritarianism in postindependence Africa. Government, Public Policy Performance, Types of Government. 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. Perhaps one of the most serious shared weakness relates to gender relations. Other governance systems in the post-independence era and their unique features, if any. 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. One common feature is recognition of customary property rights laws, especially that of land. The political systems of most African nations are based on forms of government put in place by colonial authorities during the era of European rule. Africa's tumultuous political history has resulted in extreme disparities between the wealth and stability of its countries. The guiding principle behind these two attributes is that conflict is a societal problem and that resolving conflict requires societal engagement. The result is transitory resilience of the regime, but shaky political stability, declining cohesion, and eventual conflict or violent change. 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. Another issue that needs some clarification is the neglect by the literature of the traditional institutions of the political systems without centralized authority structures. A third, less often recognized base of legitimacy can be called conventional African diplomatic legitimacy wherein a governmenthowever imperfectly establishedis no more imperfect than the standard established by its regional neighbors. Enlightened leaders face a more complex version of the same challenge: how to find and mobilize the resources for broad-based inclusiveness? Rather, they often rely on voluntary compliance, although they also apply some soft power to discourage noncompliance by members with customary laws. It should not be surprising that there is a weak social compact between state and society in many African states. African political elites are more determined than ever to shape their own destiny, and they are doing so. This brief essay began by identifying the state-society gap as the central challenge for African governance. The kings and chiefs of Angola and Asante, for example, allowed European merchants to send their representatives to their courts. Abstract. Its ability to influence policy is limited in large part because of its institutional detachment from the state and because of its poverty and lack of capacity to participate in the political process. Oftentimes, however, they contradict each other, creating problems associated with institutional incoherence. The problems that face African governments are universal. The reasons why rural communities adhere to the traditional institutions are many (Logan, 2011; Mengisteab & Hagg, 2017). Political leaders everywhere face competing demands in this regard. The traditional Africa system of government is open and inclusive, where strangers, foreigners and even slaves could participate in the decision-making process. Many other countries have non-centralized elder-based traditional institutions. Overturning regimes in Africas often fragile states could become easier to do, without necessarily leading to better governance. Some live in remote areas beyond the reach of some of the institutions of the state, such as courts. Why traditional institutional systems endure, how large the adherents to them is, and why populations, especially in rural areas, continue to rely on traditional institutions, even when an alternative system is provided by the state, and what the implications of institutional dichotomy is are questions that have not yet received adequate attention in the literature. However, the winner takes all system in the individual states is a democracy type of voting system, as the minority gets none of the electoral college votes. According to this analysis, Africas traditional institutional systems are likely to endure as long as the traditional subsistent economic systems continue to exist. The same factors that hinder nation-building hinder democratization. African Governance: Challenges and Their Implications. These features include nonprofits, non-profits and hybrid entities are now provide goods and services that were once delivered by the government. Both can be identified as forms of governance. African Political Systems is an academic anthology edited by the anthropologists Meyer Fortes and E. E. Evans-Pritchard which was published by Oxford University Press on the behalf of the International African Institute in 1940. Communities in the traditional socioeconomic space are hardly represented in any of the organizations of the state, such as the parliament, where they can influence policy and the legal system to reflect their interests.