The eminent African politicians who played prominent roles in the independence struggles of their countries, and who then provided leadership during the early post-colonial years, tended to emphasise the need to achieve and sustain national unity. This, they suggested, was more important than replicating the American or European model of democracy.
These politicians warned that the creation of multi-party political systems risked politics becoming based on tribal affiliation. This would cause political instability, and might even lead to civil war as rival tribes contested for control of the national government. Moreover, even relatively minor instability would inhibit the foreign investment which the new African nations needed so badly.
Cynics did of course note that such arguments were clearly self-serving. The new leaders could see that the emergence of rival leaders at the head of opposition parties was a threat to their own authority and status – to say nothing of the opportunities for self-enrichment which presidential office offered to those who wished to take advantage.
Kofi Busia, who was Prime Minister of Ghana 1969-1972, presents more sophisticated arguments in his book The Challenge of Africa. Busia explains that the colonial administrations were inevitably authoritarian, and this structure was inherited by the new governments after independence.
So the standard model became a one-party state headed by a strong leader. Even so, tribal groups often demanded political structures which would enable them to retain their identity. Such tribal groups included the Ashanti of Ghana, the Yoruba and Igbo of Nigeria, and the Baganda of Uganda.
This challenge was sometimes met by the introduction of federal structures, but in other cases attempts were made to crush tribalism in the interests of national unity.
Busia was writing in 1962, and he warned that authoritarian political structures could lead to political tyranny, personality cults, and other totalitarian phenomena. He could already clearly see the dangers of one-party rule.
The party in power would swallow up trade unions, youth organisations, farmer’s councils, women’s federations, and civil service and other associations. People would have to hold a party card in order to get a job.
There would be government or party control of the media, arbitrary arrests and imprisonment of political opponents without trial, and attacks on the independence of the judiciary.
There would be no effective public opinion while widespread illiteracy would make it easy to rig elections. Sadly, these predictions came true in many African countries.
However, Busia argues, there was no reason why the principles of democracy could not be manifested in Africa. These included freedom of speech including the right to criticise the government, freedom of assembly and association, freedom to choose a government at a general election, freedom of religion, freedom from arbitrary arrest and imprisonment without trial, the rule of law, and guaranteed human rights and civil liberties.
These principle are universal, Busia says, but they have to be fought for year in and year out.