This discussion is built on two premises:
- There cannot be good leadership without good governmental structures and institutions.
- Changing leaders is only window-dressing – it cannot improve things.
I will make bold to say that pre-colonial Africa was a golden age of order and harmony built on ‘Ubuntu’ – the spirit of community which bound society together. In this African system of government there was no ‘ruler’ or ‘ruled’ but everything was held in trust for the benefit of the commonwealth as a whole. Moreover, each African state embraced different peoples and their borders were porous. The emphasis was on things which bind people together rather than on the things that drive people apart.
The history of the colonial and post-colonial periods
Sadly, the colonial and post-colonial periods saw many brutal and bloody upheavals, and African society has never been the same again. Colonialism destroyed the traditional African system of government and, in the new system, the emphasis was on producing civil servants for the white masters. Another artificial invention was the creation of a class of chiefs who were also no more than colonial servants (and who extorted huge amounts of money from the people, and committed human rights abuses).
The system of government has continued to be distorted throughout the post-colonial period down to the present day. We believe we have achieved independence and self-rule, but in truth we are now under neo-colonial systems of government. The old political leaders left and were replaced by new African ones, but the neocolonial system seems more brutal and inhuman than the old one.
The harrowing events which occurred during this period include:
- The CIA, with the connivance of Mobutu and his Katangese tribesmen, killed Patrice Lumumba – a true African patriot – because they wanted mineral resources. The killing still continues in DR Congo to this day.
- The Biafran war killed up to 2 million people, nearly balkanised Nigeria, and still haunts the national psyche.
- The EndSARS, End Bad Governance movements in Nigeria which tried to bring down bad leaders and make the voices of young people heard both failed.
The withdrawal of French forces from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger is a step in the right direction. However, I dare say that until neocolonialism – and its local variant ‘Godfatherism’ – is replaced by a pure African form of government we will continue to beat around the bush and true African leadership will remain a mirage.
By Godfrey Selbar