features of traditional african system of government

The first objective of the article is to shed light on the socioeconomic foundations for the resilience of Africas traditional institutions. The leaders in this system have significant powers, as they often are custodians of their communitys land and they dispense justice in their courts. Rather, they often rely on voluntary compliance, although they also apply some soft power to discourage noncompliance by members with customary laws. Three layers of institutions characterize most African countries. Given its institutional disconnect with the state, the traditional sector and the communities that operate under it invariably face marginalization in influencing policy as well as in access to economic resources throughout the continent. As noted, there are notable differences in the authority systems of African traditional institutions. South Africa: Introduction >> globalEDGE: Your source for Global They include: Monarchs (absolute or constitutional): While the colonial state reduced most African kings to chiefs, a few survived as monarchs. 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. Executive, legislative, and judicial functions are generally attributed by most modern African constitutions to presidents and prime ministers, parliaments, and modern judiciaries. The Sultanes of Somalia are examples of this category and the community has specific criteria as to who is qualified to be a chief (Ahmed, 2017). Long-standing kingdoms such as those in Morocco and Swaziland are recognized national states. By the mid-1970s, the politics of Africa had turned authoritarian. There was a lot of consultation between the elders before any major decision was made. This enhanced his authority. These circumstances can generate an authoritarian reflex and the temptation to circle the wagons against all sources of potential opposition. 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 . The book contains eight separate papers produced by scholars working in the field of anthropology, each of which focuses in on a different society in Sub-Saharan Africa. Reconciling the parallel institutional systems is also unlikely to deliver the intended results in a short time; however, there may not be any better alternatives. Governance: Why democracy is failing in Africa - GhanaWeb The parallel institutional systems often complement each other in the continents contemporary governance. Virtually every group was involved in the . The roles assigned to them by the colonial state came to an end, and the new state imposed its own modifications of their roles. PDF Structure of Government - EOLSS But African societies are exposed to especially severe pressures, and governments must operate in an environment of high social demands and limited resources and capacity with which to meet them. On the other hand, weak or destructive governance is sometimes the source of conflicts in the first place. A partial explanation as to why the traditional systems endure was given in the section Why African Traditional Institutions Endure. The argument in that section was that they endure primarily because they are compatible with traditional economic systems, under which large segments of the African population still operate. 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 . Features/Characteristics Of Government - 2022 - StopLearn Keywords: Legal Pluralism, African Customary Law, Traditional Leadership, Chieftaincy, Formal Legal System Relationship With, Human Rights, Traditional Norms, Suggested Citation: However, almost invariably the same functions, whether or not formally defined and characterized in the same terms or exercised in the same manner, are also performed by traditional institutions and their leaders. Traditional African religions are not stagnant but highly dynamic and constantly reacting to various shifting influences such as old age, modernity, and technological advances. Beyond such macro factors, several less obvious variables seem important to the political and economic governance future of the region. On the one hand, they recognize the need for strong, responsive state institutions; weak, fragile states do not lead to good governance. The endurance of traditional institutions entails complex and paradoxical implications for contemporary Africas governance. 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. This page was processed by aws-apollo-l2 in 0.093 seconds, Using these links will ensure access to this page indefinitely. Different property rights laws are a notable source of conflict in many African countries. 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. Government acknowledges the critical role of traditional leadership institutions in South Africa's constitutional democracy and in communities, particularly in relation to the Rural . 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). As Legesse (1973, 2000) notes, the fundamental principles that guide the consensus-based (decentralized) authority systems include curbing the concentration of power in an institution or a person and averting the emergence of a rigid hierarchy. Our data indicate that traditional leaders, chiefs and elders clearly still play an important role in the lives Poor statesociety relations and weak state legitimacy: Another critical outcome of institutional fragmentation and institutional detachment of the state from the overwhelming majority of the population is weak legitimacy of the state (Englebert, 2000). PDF The role and importance of the institution of traditional leadership in Rather, they are conveners of assemblies of elders or lower level chiefs who deliberate on settlement of disputes. Africa contains more sovereign nations than any other continent, with 54 countries compared to Asia's 47. South Africas strategy revolves around recognition of customary law when it does not conflict with the constitution and involves traditional authorities in local governance. Many African countries, Ghana and Uganda, for example, have, like all other states, formal institutions of the state and informal institutions (societal norms, customs, and practices). PDF The Political Ideology of Indigenous African Political Systems and TRADITIONAL AUTHORITY IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT - Modish Project The customary structures of governance of traditional leadership were put aside or transformed. Both types of government can be effective or infective depending on . The colonial state, for example, invented chiefs where there were no centralized authority systems and imposed them on the decentralized traditional systems, as among the Ibo of Eastern Nigeria, the Tonga in Zambia, various communities in Kenya, and the communities in Somalia. These partners, for their part, sometimes disengaged from close political ties and often brought new governance conditions into their assistance programs. 15 Facts on African Religions The Interfaith Observer Most African countries are characterized by parallel institutions, one representing the formal laws of the state and the other representing the traditional institutions that are adhered to more commonly in rural areas. Posted: 12 May 2011. In addition to these measures, reconciling fragmented institutions would be more successful when governments invest more resources in transforming the traditional socioeconomic space. The post-colonial State, on the other hand . Such adjustments, however, may require contextualization of the institutions of democracy by adjusting these institutions to reflect African realities. Regional governance comes into play here, and certain precedents may get set and then ratified by regional or sub-regional organizations. African Politics: A Very Short Introduction | Oxford Academic Other governance systems in the post-independence era and their unique features, if any. West Africa has a long and complex history. This section attempts to explain these seemingly contradictory implications of traditional institutions. 20-27, at p. 21; Carey N. Vicenti 'The re-emergence of tribal society and traditional justice systems' Judicature, Vol. . Invented chiefs and state-paid elders: These were chiefs imposed by the colonial state on decentralized communities without centralized authority systems. The link was not copied. Societal conflicts: Institutional dichotomy often entails incompatibility between the systems. Indications are, however, that the more centralized the system is, the lower the accountability and popular participation in decision making. Unfortunately, little attention by African governments has been given to this paradoxical aspect of traditional institutions. A strict democracy would enforce the "popular vote" total over the entire United States. These features include nonprofits, non-profits and hybrid entities are now provide goods and services that were once delivered by the government. America's flawed democracy: the five key areas where it - The Guardian All life was religious . The quality and durability of such leader-defined adaptive resilience cannot be assured and can be reversed unless the associated norms become institutionalized. Learn more about joining the community of supporters and scholars working together to advance Hoovers mission and values. African states, along with Asian, Middle Eastern, and even European governments, have all been affected. MyHoover delivers a personalized experience atHoover.org. The place and role of African Youth in Pre-independence African Governance Systems 19-20 1.7. Political leaders everywhere face competing demands in this regard. Figure 1 captures this turn to authoritarianism in postindependence Africa. As a result, it becomes highly complex to analyze their roles and structures without specifying the time frame. It assigned them new roles while stripping away some of their traditional roles. The government is undertaking a review of local government, which includes a commitment to introduce direct election of metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs). 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. Copy this link, or click below to email it to a friend. Hoover Education Success Initiative | The Papers. 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. This chapter examines traditional leadership within the context of the emerging constitutional democracy in Ghana. Basing key political decisions on broad societal and inter-party consensus may help to de-escalate cutthroat competition that often leads to violent conflicts. . The institution of traditional leadership in Africa pre-existed both the colonial and apartheid systems and was the only known system of governance among indigenous people. A related reason for their relevance is that traditional institutions, unlike the state, provide rural communities the platform to participate directly in their own governance. All the characteristic features of a traditional society are, for obvious reasons, reflected in the education system. This page was processed by aws-apollo-l2 in. In some cases, community elders select future Sultanes at a young age and groom them for the position. Land privatization is, thus, unworkable in pastoral communities, as communal land ownership would be unworkable in a capitalist economy. In this view, nations fail because of extractive economic and political institutions that do not provide incentives for growth and stability. (No award was made in 50% of the years since the program was launched in 2007; former Liberian president Ellen John Sirleaf won the award in 2017. Hoover scholars offer analysis of current policy challenges and provide solutions on how America can advance freedom, peace, and prosperity. Constitutions of postcolonial states have further limited the power of chiefs. The introduction of alien economic and political systems by the colonial state relegated Africas precolonial formal institutions to the sphere of informality, although they continued to operate in modified forms, in part due to the indirect rule system of colonialism and other forms of reliance by colonial states on African institutions of governance to govern their colonies. There are also various arguments in the literature against traditional institutions.2 One argument is that chieftaincy impedes the pace of development as it reduces the relevance of the state in the area of social services (Tom Mboya in Osaghae, 1989). Finally, the chapter considers the future of the institution against the background of the many issues and challenges considered. While traditional institutions remain indispensable for the communities operating under traditional economic systems, they also represent institutional fragmentation, although the underlying factor for fragmentation is the prevailing dichotomy of economic systems. These include - murder, burglary, landcase, witchcraft, profaning the deities and homicide. Note that Maine and . African political systems are described in a number of textbooks and general books on African history. Challenges confronting the institution of chieftaincy have continued from the colonial era into recent times. The kings and chiefs of Angola and Asante, for example, allowed European merchants to send their representatives to their courts. Additionally, inequalities between parallel socioeconomic spaces, especially with respect to influence on policy, hinder a democratic system, which requires equitable representation and inclusive participation. 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 . The Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (Alkire, Chatterjee, Conconi, Seth, & Vaz, 2014) estimates that the share of rural poverty to total poverty in sub-Saharan Africa is about 73.8%. This we might call transformative resilience.21. Many others choose the customary laws and conflict resolution mechanisms because they correspond better to their way of life. 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? Sometimes, another precedent flows from thesenamely, pressure from outside the country but with some support internally as well for creating a transitional government of national unity. Another measure is recognition of customary law and traditional judicial systems by the state. In the postcolonial era, their roles changed again. Security challenges can impose tough choices on governments that may act in ways that compound the problem, opening the door to heightened risks of corruption and the slippery slope of working with criminal entities. This point links the reader to the other Africa chapters that have been prepared for this project. Both can be identified as forms of governance. Types of Government in Africa - Synonym 79 (3), (1995) pp. Governance also has an important regional dimension relating to the institutional structures and norms that guide a regions approach to challenges and that help shape its political culture.1 This is especially relevant in looking at Africas place in the emerging world since this large region consists of 54 statesclose to 25% of the U.N.s membershipand includes the largest number of landlocked states of any region, factors that dramatically affect the political environment in which leaders make choices. For example, the election day itself goes more or less peacefully, the vote tabulation process is opaque or obscure, and the entire process is shaped by a pre-election playing field skewed decisively in favor of the incumbents. 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. Ndlela (2007: 34) confirms that traditional leaders continue to enjoy their role and recognition in the new dispensation, just like in other African states; and Good (2002: 3) argues that the system of traditional leadership in Botswana exists parallel to the democratic system of government and the challenge is of forging unity. 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. They also serve as guardians and symbols of cultural values and practices. The leaders, their families and allies are exempt. Should inclusion be an ongoing process or a single event? This principle is particularly relevant for diversity management, nation-building, and democratization in contemporary Africa. Features of Yoruba Pre colonial Administration - Bscholarly Among them were those in Ethiopia, Morocco, Swaziland, and Lesotho. It is unlikely, however, that such harmony can be brought about by measures that aim to abolish the traditional system, as was attempted by some countries in the aftermath of decolonization. The Political History of Africa: The Pre-Colonial Era - African the system even after independence. The political history of Africa begins with the emergence of hominids, archaic humans andat least 200,000 years agoanatomically modern humans (Homo sapiens), in East Africa, and continues unbroken into the present as a patchwork of diverse and politically developing nation states. The key lies in identifying the variables that will shape its context. Uneven access to public services, such as educational, health, and communication services, and the disproportionately high poverty rates in the traditional sector are manifestations of the sectors marginalization. According to the African Development Bank, good governance should be built on a foundation of (I) effective states, (ii) mobilized civil societies, and (iii) an efficient private sector. Less than 20% of Africas states achieved statehood following rebellion or armed insurgency; in the others, independence flowed from peaceful transfers of authority from colonial officials to African political elites. To illustrate, when there are 2.2 billion Africans, 50% of whom live in cities, how will those cities (and surrounding countryside) be governed? Traditional Types of Government: Definitions, Strengths & Weaknesses Presently, Nigeria practices the federal system. The Pre-Colonial Period: From the Ashes of Pharaohs to the Berlin Conference At the end of the prehistoric period (10 000 BC), some African nomadic bands began to In new countries such as most of those in Africa,7 where the rule of law is in competition with the rule of men, leaders play a strikingly critical role, for good or ill. The Constitution states that the institution, status and roles of traditional leadership, according to customary law, are recognised. Since then, many more have been formulated, but the main themes and ideas have remained. In many tribes, the chief was the representative of the ancestors. This adds to the challenge of building national identities; this identity vacuum increases the risk that political elites and social groups will capture the state for narrower, self-interested purposes that weaken, rather than strengthen, social cohesion.