00:00There were fears about democratic backsliding in African countries as aid and interest from
00:06democratic Western nations dried up in early 2025. But have we maybe given support from
00:13Western nations too much credit for how democracy has progressed across Africa?
00:18So we need to look at our specific situation and think from there uniquely what it is that we need.
00:23Welcome to The Flipside. Many observers regard the upcoming elections in Tanzania and Uganda as
00:31formalities rather than fair contests. Tanzania's opposition party Chadema has been banned from
00:37competing and Uganda's increasingly authoritarian President Yaweri Museveni is seeking to extend his
00:44four-decade rule. One of the trends that we've picked up in East Africa is suppression of political
00:53opposition and the targeting of political parties and leaders of those parties who are trying to
01:04sort of upset the status quo. Kenya too has experienced a crackdown on youth protests
01:10and politically motivated abductions. But as democracies mature, shouldn't elections become
01:16less controversial? It takes a lot of time to get into a rhythm of peaceful turnover and people accepting
01:26that a certain amount of friction and debate and opposition is natural and good and healthy.
01:33And we also have to look at the perks of being in power. Perks like impunity, access to wealth and of
01:41course status. But in 2024, something happened for the second time in the world's most famous democracy,
01:48the United States. In the past few years, that authoritarian practice has been emboldened
01:55and fast-tracked by the election of President Trump. And not just in the US. The rise of anti-rights
02:03movements across the world. And from Europe to Africa, we are seeing a strengthening of narratives that
02:10emboldened anti-migrant sentiment, anti-democratic sentiment. Still, studies show that democracy is
02:18the most popular form of governance. But there have been abuses and unhappiness at how democracy has
02:25served the people in reality. So, how do we get people to believe in democracy again?
02:31Educate the civil society on their political rights. Educate them on the intent of certain
02:38parties so that, for one, when they vote, they're voting knowledgeably. And two, should things go
02:44wrong, like perhaps the wrong president is in power or someone who makes a promise does not live up to
02:50those promises, we know how to now follow up and litigate. Our response as civil society needs to be
02:57equally emboldened. Emboldened enough to call for free and fair elections, emboldened enough to
03:06ensure that there's no violence during these voting periods, but also emboldened enough to call for
03:13a rethinking of the structures that are used to hold power to account when it comes to elections.
03:19Observation of elections shouldn't just come from, you know, European or Northern countries, but within Africa.
03:25And for all this to happen, do African democracies really need the West as a guide?
03:31Absolutely not, no. I think the notion that democracy is, or that the West is the holder of
03:40democracy is something that we really need to challenge.
03:43I think that's a flat-out no, we should not, because, you know, our world is quite different from the West,
03:49not so much radically so that we can't learn anything from them, but that we should start from our own home.
03:56Voting habits have changed in African democracies, most notably in South Africa and Botswana, where
04:02the ruling parties saw their voting shares nosedive, and Ghana, which has seen multiple peaceful transitions of power.
04:10Previously, we did a lot of tribal politics, but I think in the span of eight years,
04:17Ghanaians became so wise, they looked actually at the economy, they looked at policies that
04:24the governments promised to put in place that was not done, and they, I mean, we actually voted massively for change.
04:33But more than that, it seems the self-owned, self-made democracy is the most powerful form.
04:39And there are lots of really motivated and mobilized groups and civil society organizations
04:47and leaders who already want those changes and are working for them in very unsafe environments.
04:53And those people and organizations need support, and if that support can come from within the region,
05:00all the better, because then it will have greater legitimacy and provide more of a chance,
05:06not just for local ownership, but then for that to be sustained into the future.
05:11And that's the flip side.
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