features of traditional african system of government

This situation supported an external orientation in African politics in which Cold War reference points and former colonial relationships assured that African governments often developed only a limited sense of connection to their own societies. Different property rights laws are a notable source of conflict in many African countries. Since institutional fragmentation is a major obstacle to nation-building and democratization, it is imperative that African countries address it and forge institutional harmony. In addition to these measures, reconciling fragmented institutions would be more successful when governments invest more resources in transforming the traditional socioeconomic space. Rather, they are conveners of assemblies of elders or lower level chiefs who deliberate on settlement of disputes. 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. However, the system of traditional government varied from place to place. 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. Relatively unfettered access to the internet via smart phones and laptops brings informationand hence potential powerto individuals and groups about all kinds of things: e.g., market prices, the views of relatives in the diaspora, conditions in the country next door, and the self-enrichment of corrupt officials. Pre-colonial Political System In Nigeria (Yoruba Traditional System) 7. For example, the electoral college forces a republic type of voting system. Many other countries have non-centralized elder-based traditional institutions. Unfortunately, little attention by African governments has been given to this paradoxical aspect of traditional institutions. The traditional and informal justice systems, it is argued offers greater access to justice. These events point to extreme state fragility and a loss of sovereign control over violence in the 11 affected countries, led by Nigeria, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic (CAR). President Muhammadu Buhari is currently the federal head of state and government. Consequently, national and regional governance factors interact continuously. On the one hand, they recognize the need for strong, responsive state institutions; weak, fragile states do not lead to good governance. A third objective is to examine the relevance of traditional institutions. Enlightened leaders face a more complex version of the same challenge: how to find and mobilize the resources for broad-based inclusiveness? These different economic systems have corresponding institutional systems with divergent property rights laws and resource allocation mechanisms, disparate decision-making systems, and distinct judicial systems and conflict resolution mechanisms. Traditional and informal justice systems aim at restoring social cohesion within the community by promoting reconciliation between disputing parties. The term covers the expressed commands of The first type is rights-based legitimacy deriving from rule of law, periodic elections, and alternation of political power, the kind generally supported by western and some African governments such as Ghana and Senegal. Types of government practiced in Nigeria, from monarchy to democracy In the postcolonial era, their roles changed again. The role of traditional leaders in modern Africa, especially in modern African democracies, is complex and multifaceted. 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. Ousted royals such as Haile Selassie (Ethiopia) and King Idriss (Libya) may be replaced by self-anointed secular rulers who behave as if they were kings until they, in turn, get overthrown. With the exceptions of a few works, such as Legesse (1973), the institutions of the decentralized political systems, which are often elder-based with group leadership, have received little attention, even though these systems are widespread and have the institutions of judicial systems and mechanisms of conflict resolution and allocation of resources, like the institutions of the centralized systems. Discuss any similarities between the key features of the fourth Customary law, for example, does not protect communities from violations of their customary land rights through land-taking by the state. The key . Traditional affairs. Chiefs such as those of the Nuer and Dinka are examples of this category. 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 Of the latter, 10 achieved the top rating of free, a conclusion close to ratings by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).9 A more bullish reading drawn again from multiple sources is that over 60% of people in sub-Saharan Africa live in free or partly free countries, a situation that enabled a Brookings Institution study to conclude that the region [is] moving in fits and starts towards greater democratic consolidation.10 Countries absent from the apparent democratic wave missed its beginnings in the early and mid-1990s, became caught up in protracted or recurrent civil conflicts, or degenerated as a result of electoral violence or big men patrimonialism. A second conflict pattern can develop along the lines of ethnic cleavages which can be readily politicized and then militarized into outright ethnic violence. A look at the economic systems of the adherents of the two institutional systems also gives a good indication of the relations between economic and institutional systems. On the eve of the departure of the colonial power, the Nigerian power elite in collusion with the departing colonial authority, drew up an elaborate constitution for a liberal bourgeois state - complete with provisions for parties in government and those in opposition. African indigenous education was. Certain offences were regarded as serious offences. Invented chiefs and state-paid elders: These were chiefs imposed by the colonial state on decentralized communities without centralized authority systems. This study points to a marked increase in state-based conflicts, owing in significant part to the inter-mixture of Islamic State factions into pre-existing conflicts. This fragmentation is also unlikely to go away anytime soon on its own. Others choose the traditional institutions, for example, in settling disputes because of lower transactional costs. As noted, African countries have experienced the rise of the modern (capitalist) economic system along with its corresponding institutional systems. Aristotle was the first to define three principal types of government systems in the fourth century B.C. The challenge facing Africas leadersperhaps above all othersis how to govern under conditions of ethnic diversity. Before then, traditional authorities essentially provided leadership for the various communities and kingdoms. Another common feature is the involvement of traditional authorities in the governance process, at least at the local level. These migrations resulted in part from the formation and disintegration of a series of large states in the western Sudan (the region north of modern Ghana drained by the Niger River). The African Charter: A Printed Futility or a Reflection of Human Rights Africa: Laws and Legal Systems - Geography Another basic question is, whom to include? Indigenous African Education - 2392 Words | Studymode Features Of Traditional Government Administration. These features include nonprofits, non-profits and hybrid entities are now provide goods and services that were once delivered by the government. Each of these societies had a system of government. Institutional dichotomy also seems to be a characteristic of transitional societies, which are between modes of production. Wise leadership respects ethnic diversity and works toward inclusive policies. Posted: 12 May 2011. The pre-colonial system in Yoruba can be described to be democratic because of the inclusion of the principle of checks and balances that had been introduced in the system of administration. What Are the Weaknesses of Traditional Security Systems? This point links the reader to the other Africa chapters that have been prepared for this project. The nature of governance is central because it determines whether the exercise of authority is viewed as legitimate. Traditional affairs | South African Government No doubt rural communities participate in elections, although they are hardly represented in national assemblies by people from their own socioeconomic space. These circumstances can generate an authoritarian reflex and the temptation to circle the wagons against all sources of potential opposition. 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. The Aqils (elders) of Somalia and the chiefs in Kenya are good examples. This page was processed by aws-apollo-l2 in. West Africa has a long and complex history. At times, devolution has had major fiscal and governance consequences, including serving as a vehicle for co-option and corruption. Judicial marginalization: Another challenge posed by institutional fragmentation relates to marginalization of the traditional system within the formal legal system. 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. Recent developments add further complications to the region: (a) the collapse of Libya after 2011, spreading large quantities of arms and trained fighters across the broader Sahel region; (b) the gradual toll of desertification placing severe pressure on traditional herder/farmer relationships in places like Sudan and Nigeria; and, (c) the proliferation of local IS or Al Qaeda franchises in remote, under-governed spaces. In other words, the transition from traditional modes of production to a capitalist economic system has advanced more in some countries than in others. This kind of offences that attract capital punishment is usually . History. However, they are not merely customs and norms; rather they are systems of governance, which were formal in precolonial times and continue to exist in a semiformal manner in some countries and in an informal manner in others.1. Act,12 the African system of governance was changed and transformed, and new structures were put in place of old ones.13 Under the Union of South Africa, the Gov- Additionally, the Guurti is charged with resolving conflicts in the country using traditional conflict resolution mechanisms. The parallel institutional systems often complement each other in the continents contemporary governance. The initial constitutions and legal systems were derived from the terminal colonial era. by the Board of Trustees of Leland Stanford Junior University. 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. 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). Furthermore, for generations, Africans were taught the Western notion of the tribe as . 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. 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. You cant impose middle class values on a pre-industrial society.13. 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. A more recent argument is that traditional institutions are incompatible with economic, social, and civil rights (Chirayath, Sage, & Woolcock, 2005). Prominent among these Sudanic states was the Soninke Kingdom of Ancient Ghana. Council of elders: These systems essentially operate on consensual decision-making arrangements that vary from one place to another. Legitimate authority, in turn, is based on accepted laws and norms rather than the arbitrary, unconstrained power of the rulers. But it also reflects the impact of Arab, Russian, Chinese, Indian, European and U.S. vectors of influence which project their differences into African societies. Access to Justice In Sub-Saharan Africa: Role of Traditional and The African Charter embodies some of the human . But established and recognized forms of inherited rule cannot be lightly dismissed as un-modern, especially when linked to the identity of an ethnic or tribal group, and could be construed as a building block of legitimacy. Competing land rights laws, for instance, often lead to appropriations by the state of land customarily held by communities, triggering various land-related conflicts in much of Africa, especially in areas where population growth and environmental degradation have led to land scarcity. Similarities between Democratic and Authoritarian Government. In sum, the digitization of African politics raises real challenges for political leaders and has the potential to increase their determination to digitize their own tools of political control. Cookie Settings. In West Africa, a griot is a praise singer or poet who possesses a repository of oral tradition passed down from generation to generation. It assigned them new roles while stripping away some of their traditional roles. Examine the definitions, strengths, and weaknesses of several common governments: monarchy, theocracy . "Law" in traditional Igbo and other African societies assumes a wide dimension and should be understood, interpreted, and applied as such, even if such a definition conflicts with the Western idea. The jury is still out on the merits of this practice. eLimu | Political developments and systems The first three parts deal with the principal objectives of the article. Ten years later, in 2017, the number of conflicts was 18, taking place in 13 different countries. A second attribute is the participatory decision-making system. The most promising pattern is adaptive resilience in which leaders facing such pressures create safety valves or outlets for managing social unrest. Traditional Institutions of Governance in Africa The evidence suggests that traditional institutions have continued to metamorphose under the postcolonial state, as Africas socioeconomic systems continue to evolve. Thus, despite abolition efforts by postcolonial states and the arguments against the traditional institutions in the literature, the systems endure and remain rather indispensable for the communities in traditional economic systems. The movement towards a formal state system is characterized by its emphasis on retribution and punishment. While this attribute of the traditional system may not be practical at the national level, it can be viable at local levels and help promote democratic values. There is one constitution and one set of laws and rules for ordinary people, and quite other for the ruling family and the politically connected elite. The chapter further examines the dabbling of traditional leaders in the political process in spite of the proscription of the institution from mainstream politics and, in this context, analyzes the policy rationale for attempting to detach chieftaincy from partisan politics. The indigenous political system had some democratic features. The government system is a republic; the chief of state and head of government is the president. Traditional governments have the following functions; 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. Transforming the traditional economic system is also likely to require embracing and utilizing the traditional institutional systems as vehicles for the provision of public services. Indications are, however, that the more centralized the system is, the lower the accountability and popular participation in decision making. America's flawed democracy: the five key areas where it - The Guardian The guiding principle behind these two attributes is that conflict is a societal problem and that resolving conflict requires societal engagement. Due to the influence of previous South African and Nigerian leaders, the African Union established the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) to review and report on a range of governance criteria. 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. Galizzi, Paolo and Abotsi, Ernest K., Traditional Institutions and Governance in Modern African Democracies (May 9, 2011). 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. Beyond such macro factors, several less obvious variables seem important to the political and economic governance future of the region. In Module Seven A: African History, you explored the histories of a wide diversity of pre-colonial African societies. The first objective of the article is to shed light on the socioeconomic foundations for the resilience of Africas traditional institutions. The traditional Africa system of government is open and inclusive, where strangers, foreigners and even slaves could participate in the decision-making process. In many tribes, the chief was the representative of the ancestors. Obstruction of nation-building: Nation-building entails a process of integrating different segments of the citizenry to form a community of citizens under shared institutions. The debate is defined by "traditionalists" and "modernists." . Overturning regimes in Africas often fragile states could become easier to do, without necessarily leading to better governance. THE FUTURE OF AFRICAN CUSTOMARY LAW, Fenrich, Galizzi, Higgins, eds., Cambridge University Press, 2011, 27 Pages However, they are not merely customs and norms; rather they are systems of governance, which were formal in precolonial times and continue to exist in a semiformal manner in some countries and in an informal manner in others. Some trust traditional leaders more than they trust state authorities. Understanding the Gadaa System. They dispense justice, resolve conflicts, and enforce contracts, even though such services are conducted in different ways in different authority systems. Relevance of African traditional institutions of Governance The purpose is to stress that such efforts and the attendant will 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. A strict democracy would enforce the "popular vote" total over the entire United States. Oftentimes, however, they contradict each other, creating problems associated with institutional incoherence. Music is a form of communication and it plays a functional role in African society . As a result, customary law, which often is not recognized by the state or is recognized only when it does not contradict the constitution, does not protect communities from possible transgressions by the state. The implementation of these systems often . Since then, many more have been formulated, but the main themes and ideas have remained. It is also challenging to map them out without specifying their time frame. African Politics: A Very Short Introduction | Oxford Academic Using a second conflict lens, the number of non-state conflicts has increased dramatically in recent years, peaking in 2017 with 50 non-state conflicts, compared to 24 in 2011. 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. A Sociology of Education for Africa . Changes in economic and political systems trigger the need for new institutional systems to manage the new economic and political systems, while endurance of economic and political systems foster durability of existing institutional systems.

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features of traditional african system of government

features of traditional african system of government