Traditional Leaders In Modern Africa: Can Democracy And The Chief Co-Exist? by Carolyn Logan (Working Paper No. 93)

The role of traditional leaders in modern Africa is complex and multifaceted. The debate is defined by “traditionalists” and “modernists”:

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  “Traditionalists” regard Africa’s traditional chiefs and elders as the true representatives of their people, accessible, respected, and legitimate, and therefore still essential to politics on the continent.


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  “Modernists,” by contrast, view traditional authority as a gerontocratic, chauvinistic, authoritarian and increasingly irrelevant form of rule that is antithetical to democracy.

TRADITIONAL AFRICAN WORLDVIEWS FROM A COSMOVISION PERSPECTIVE by David Millar

• Land was an ancestral trust, committed to the living for the benefit of the whole community, in particular the unborn generations.
  

• African traditions best express their cosmovisions.
  

• When the focus is on 'The Triad', and the focus is on land as a common property, a common vocabulary and knowledge, and therefore a common culture, sweeps through Africa.
  

• The cosmovision notion originates from a culture which has a holistic worldview, integrating the world with the cosmos. Africa’s perspective of cosmovison --> the whole of nature is conceived as a living being, like an animal, with all parts interrelated and needing to perform.
  

• 1.- Cosmovision is a social construct that includes the assumed interrelationships between spirituality, nature and mankind. It describes the role of supernatural powers, the natural processes that take place and the relationship between mankind and nature.


• 2.- Cosmovisions often indicate a hierarchy in divine beings, spiritual beings (especially the ancestors), natural forces (such as climate, diseases, floods), soil, vegetation, animals, man and woman.

• The worldviews of traditional African societies --> influence of development interventions by Professor Kofi Asare Opuku in
  * 'Traditional attitudes towards nature in Africa' [1993]
  * 'The traditional foundations of development' [1989].
  


• Endogenous development. - working through indigenous structures and institutions.

• The people are governed by unwritten laws and regulations that are guided by history, posterity, and their spirituality.
  


• Their 'best option scenario'--> protracted efforts to resolve the problem - an endeavor they would continue with or without us.
  * For them it is a question of survival and continuous existence within that environment.
  * For us, it is one of plugging in and plugging out.

The Search for Grounds in African Oral Tradition - Autor: Lee Haring

In the past, classic approaches to African oral traditions have sought their ground in anonymous social forces, “primitive” mentality, the entextualizing of words, or metaphysical presuppositions.

The ground was an organic conception of literature and a separation of literary criticism from sources, social effects and backgrounds, history of ideas, and politics, for the sake of attention on the object called literary, which was separated from its producer and sociohistorical setting (Leitch 1988:26-35).

This “objectivism,” now generally rejected in African studies, was classically refuted by a zealous, penetrating researcher of Tanzania, T. O. Beidelman: “if folklore has any lasting merit as a field of study by anthropologists, it is in its relation to other spheres of society and social action. Indeed, this too is the relevance of literature”.

Literary critical theories, commentary on African oral traditions always “exhibits a discernible orientation” to artist, audience, or universe (Abrams 1972:4). Performance research in Africa promises to achieve what Derrida claims for deconstruction, “a general displacement of the system” that opposes informants to investigators and text to context.

There are two ways of envisaging decontextualization: either the interviewee has prepared and facilitated decontextualization of his speaking, as the Pathmasters have done, or the interviewee, under the pressure of the moment, has offered fragments of a belief system, a literary discourse, or a style in order to satisfy an interviewer.

Decontextualization is sometimes misunderstood to mean the mere removal of words from a performance setting, as though the words then were nowhere, or in limbo. African societies in the post-colonial era seem constantly to be seeking homeostasis, a temporary balance, which is bound to be upset and will again require rectification.

Poetics and politics reveal another facet of their identity in study of variation in performance of Igbo epic under the impact of what Alan Dundes (1966) calls oral literary criticism.
The three final articles on the oral traditions of African women show three ways in which the arts of the word help to constitute African social life. Here, perhaps, is a ground for the study of African oral traditions. In Africa, perhaps more than any other region, gender speaks loudly as a “persistent and visible cultural resource in folk models of difference” (Mills 1992:2).

The “groupiness” of their traditional performance style contrasts oddly with the increased individual emphasis in the content. Reading their economic situation all too correctly, the women encourage men to achieve material prosperity and benefit their spouses by working in the city. The paradoxical results are twofold: to the extent that men are so persuaded, they will attenuate the marriage relation by living apart from wives and children, and they will enlarge the pool of “paracapitalist labor,” thus throwing into doubt the all-important status of agriculture in Ghana (cf. Spivak 1988). Oral tradition becomes a tool for modernization, though the women are not yet aware how much they are complying with the ideology of the world economic system.

What contribution is the study of African oral traditions making to literary theory? Though critics have long acknowledged the importance of the fundamental folkloric topic of variation in their understanding of Yeats or Henry James, the study of oral tradition, with its local knowledge (Geertz 1983) and its passion for the politically disenfranchised, occupies an oppressed position lower even than feminism.

The great contribution of oral tradition study to criticism is its insistence on the importance of the actual artistic behavior of oppressed peoples.

Links: http://journal.oraltradition.org/files/articles/9i/1d_Introduction_9_1.pdf

Alternative Media and Political Change in Africa: Analytical Schemes for Assessing Significance and Potential - Autor: Dr. Temba S. B. Masilela

The purpose of this paper is to construct frameworks, informed by insights from pertinent bodies of scholarship, that can be used to assess the significance and potential of alternative media for political change in Africa. In its construction of these conceptual frameworks, the text takes into account the predisposition of various bodies of scholarship to ascribe agency to different social actors ie. social movements, classes, elites, and protest groups.

The first section constructs a conceptual framework which is informed by development communication theory and practice. The second part constructs a conceptual framework drawn from political communication theory that can be used to explore the potential of alternative media for political change in Africa. These two frameworks are proposed as analytical schemes for an empirical investigation of the significance and potential of alternative media for political change in Africa.

The past 40 years of development communication theory and practice can be conceptualized in terms of four basic models that have at different periods held sway over the discipline:
• Development as modernization and communication as innovation adoption,
• Development as liberation from dependency and communication as cultural action,
• Development as meeting basic needs and communication as social marketing, and
• Development as human development and communication as a support function.

In an analysis of the question of development and cultural values in the history of Africa, authors asks if African intellectuals are to answer the call for the re-instatement of culture in development studies, justified as this call is in the context of anti-imperialist and nationalist struggles, where should they begin?

Behind the practice of agricultural extension, was an implicit ideology of paternalism, social control, and non-reciprocity. This ideology was based upon "an unjustified lack of faith in the people, an underestimation of their power of reflection.

The fortunes of the conception of development as one of liberation and the attendant role of communication as one of cultural action were also tied to (a) the political trajectories and successes and failures of post-colonial African nation-states (Davidron, 1992).

The work undertaken by CIESPAL was premised on a recognition of the dependent character of the theory of communication and methodologies of research being utilized in contemporary Latin America. CIESPAL proposed the search for theoretical and methodological alternatives and "prioritized research into two issues: the role of communication in education and in popular organization and mobilization" (Marques de Melo, 1988:441). In Africa, the debate about participatory communication strategies has in part been conducted under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).

The notion of alternative media incorporates a variety of dimensions (difference, independence, opposition, and representation) whose importance is determined by the parameters of particular struggles. Broadly defined, alternative media are "those forms of mass communication that avowedly reject or challenge established and institutionalized politics, in the sense that they all advocate change in society or at least a critical reassessment of traditional values" (O'Sullivan et. al., 1994:10).

"Community media, in reaction to the mass media, attempt to redefine the communication realm (i.e. the relations between informer and informed) and to enhance, through the acquisition of simple technology, the possibilities that people have of intervening in the process of information production" (Council for the Development of Community Media, 1977:397). Alternative media are distinguished by their ownership and management structures, their financing, their regulation, their programming and their policy stances on issues of access and participation.

Link:http://archive.lib.msu.edu/DMC/African%20Journals/pdfs/africa%20media%20review/vol10no1/jamr010001007.pdf

THE DECENT WORK AGENDA IN AFRICA: 2007–2015

This report may also be consulted on the ILO Internet site
www.ilo.org/public/english/standards/relm/rgmeet/africa.htm

This is a practical policy document put at the service of the ILO’ s tripartite constituents to advance the Decent Work Agenda in Africa. This effort gained unprecedented momentum with the landmark African Union Extraordinary Summit on Employment and Poverty Alleviation in Africa which took place shortly after our last African Regional Meeting.

The report presents three areas of focus:
- Linking the Decent Work Agenda to the Millennium Development Goals and the wider global development agenda.

- Shaping ILO support to the Ouagadougou follow-up through a decent work policy portfolio for Africa within a framework of time-bound targets.
- Reinforcing the ILO’ s Africa constituents. If the world is committed to national ownership of poverty reduction strategies, then we have to be serious about reinforcing the social and economic arm of governments and helping African social partners to organize and exercise their voice as the real actors of the economy. This is integral to good governance and making decent work a national reality.

· In most African countries, economic growth has been relatively buoyant over the last few years. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the African region grew by 5.4 per cent in 2005 and 2006, and is projected to expand further in 2007 by 5.9 per cent.[1]

· In order to accelerate their integration into the global market, many African countries have opted for trade liberalization policies by removing tariff and non-tariff barriers. It is however important to note that despite increases in volumes of trade, most African countries, being exporters of low-value agricultural products and importers of high-value goods and services, have experienced a long-run deterioration in the terms of trade.

· Migration is a further important link between Africa and the global economy. It contributes to regional economic integration as migrant workers continue to move in search of more decent working and living standards than those prevailing at home. Trade liberalization measures should be preceded by impact assessments aimed at identifying opportunities for job creation.

· Poverty is a multidimensional phenomenon. Joblessness and the poverty associated with it cause people to feel useless and excluded from their family and community. This underscores the fundamental subjective dimension of work.

· Social protection seeks to protect workers at their workplaces in the formal and informal economy against unfair, hazardous and unhealthy working conditions. It seeks to provide access to health services, a minimum income for people whose income puts them beneath the poverty line, and support for families with children.

· In extending coverage of social security schemes, a variety of challenges need to be addressed. These include, from an economic perspective, limited productivity, persistently high inflation rates, high and increasing rates of informal economy employment and skewed income distributions.

· In this context, social security arrangements tend to be characterized by fragmentation and the lack of a clear vision for their extension to as yet uncovered groups within the population. Although there is a great need for social security in Africa, factors such as limited formal economy employment, high rates of inflation and the impact of HIV/AIDS, make meeting this need, even partially, particularly difficult.

· The trend towards political liberalization and democratization in Africa and endorsement of efforts to achieve good governance, as in the AU and NEPAD, are indications that Africa is rethinking its approaches to development management.

· Several countries in the region are emerging from long periods of conflict, with the associated challenges of restoring not only individual and family security, dignity and relationships but also productive capacity, following the destruction of social and economic infrastructure. Armed conflicts erode productive assets, destroy workplaces and weaken labour markets. Ensuring that women and men can go back to work in conditions in which their basic human rights are respected represents a major step in the process of recovery and rebuilding, not just of physical, but also social, infrastructure.

· A series of high-level meetings of national and international aid agencies held after the Monterrey Conference provided a critical impetus for changes in aid modalities at the country level, based on the following principles:
o Ownership
o Alignment
o Harmonization
o Mutual accountability.

· Accelerating globalization and the importance of coherent international policies notwithstanding, most of the decisions that shape people’ s daily working environment and livelihood are taken at the country level.

· National development priorities such as poverty reduction lead to vast agendas.

· Support for the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work is gaining momentum within several international financial institutions such as the regional development banks, the World Bank, and its private sector finance arm the International Finance Corporation.

[1] IMF World Economic Outlook Database Sep. 2006.

Popular Music and Politics in Africa – Some Introductory Reflections, Autor: Birgit Englert

Abstract:

‘Popular culture’ is a broad term, especially if the meaning of ‘culture’ is understood as referring to “[…] whatever is distinctive about the ‘way of life’ of a people, community, nation or social group.” (Hall 1997: 2).

To use the “mass aspect” as a defining characteristic of popular culture is even more problematic in the African context where, as Newell (2002: 4) notes, consumption patterns with regard to some genres are such that for example also popular books are consumed only by a small minority of the population. The liberalisation of radio and TV helped facilitate the emergence of new forms of popular culture which did not have space on the usually state-controlled media. HipHop-inspired music which emerged in many African countries in the 1990s is a case in point here.

While it is certainly true that urban areas are largely the sites of popular creativities - especially those which succeed in reaching a broader audience - the reception of popular culture can hardly be limited to the urban sphere. With technologies spreading, the gap between rural and urban is decreasing, an observation that holds true at least in terms of the consumption of popular music. (Fabian 1997 [1978]: 18, 25)
A positive definition could probably point at the relative openness of popular culture - openness in the sense that entry barriers are relatively low and access to it not overtly institutionalized. (cf. Barber 1987: 43.

“Young people and particularly young women make use of the popular culture discourses. The discursive spaces opened up by the narratives are relatively free from the barriers which otherwise keep out women and the poor. In that sense the new media contribute significantly to the establishment of a democratic public sphere.”

Apart from looking at how popular culture is used to express political views, it is also necessary to look at the role of the state in the politics of popular culture (Street 2001: 302). In this context the practice of transforming ‘traditional’ songs into ‘propaganda’ songs was often used - a practice which is however far from outdated in contemporary Africa; and it is certainly not a phenomenon limited to ‘traditional’ songs but also occurring with songs that can be categorised as ‘popular’.

Link: http://www.univie.ac.at/ecco/stichproben/Nr14_Englert_Introduction.pdf

Á F R I C A

by Lizbeth Ramos

Visión del continente africano previa al curso:

Desde pequeños, y como internacionalistas natos, hemos creado juicios negativos y/o positivos acerca de las distintas regiones del mundo. Nos familiarizamos y, en ocasiones, nos identificamos con algunos países o momentos de la historia al mismo tiempo que dentro del mundo occidental podemos tomar aquello que se ve a simple vista.

Particularmente, mi opinión acerca de África estaba relacionada con un lugar lleno de riquezas mal aprovechadas. La explotación, las enfermedades, los conflictos políticos o la hambruna eran los conceptos que mantenían ocupada mi mente al pensar en alguno de sus países. Sin embargo, mi forma de pensar cambio desde que Sudáfrica fue seleccionada como sede del Mundial de Football en 2010, ¿cómo un país africano podría alcanzar el nivel de anfitrión de un evento internacional de tal magnitud? Y fue cuando vi a un África distinto.

Mis percepciones se fueron tornando confusas al ver los dos extremos del continente. Por un lado, es un territorio abundante en maravillas naturales (podemos mencionar el desierto del Sahara o el Río Nilo) pero por otro, los problemas políticos que afectan a la población (por ejemplo, el conflicto en Chad).Y es de esta manera que me dí cuenta que en África hay algo más.Es por eso, que mi punto de vista al inicio del curso era como África podía mantener esos dos extremos. ¿Cómo poder lograr tantas cosas positivas y dejarse opacar por las desgracias?

Perspectivas del curso:

Definitivamente este curso está enriqueciendo mis conocimientos acerca de África y, por supuesto, está ayudando a entender todas aquellas inquietudes acerca del especial caso de los extremos africanos.

El futuro para el curso esta definido ya que considero que cada uno de nosotros nos encontramos en un punto en donde cada particular opinión abre cada vez más nuestros horizontes y amplia más nuestro criterio.

Además me está ayudando a comprender, en distintas formas, la verdadera importancia de sus países para todas las regiones del mundo. Sus aportes, su historia y su contribución al mundo occidental hacen apreciar a un África mucho más avanzado de lo que creemos por lo que espero que la trascendencia de los futuros conocimiento que se obtengan en el curso, me ayuden a transmitir otra cara de los africanos.