The African State – a central cause of instability

Original Post Date: 2008-01-17 Time: 00:00:00  Posted By: JoAn

Submitted by Kayumba:

Civil war was perceived as an African phenomenon until the end of cold war and most often viewed as liberation struggles. In the aftermath of September 11, civil wars have been labelled according to interests in the global arena.

The above not withstanding, the African state remains a central problem to achieving sustainable peace in Africa. The model of the state in Africa is not a product of African initiative, it is a borrowed one. From the constitution apparatus to the political system, the colonial powers shaped the African state. In doing so they felt they were civilizing Africa and off course with a view of creating an always dependent community but with a flag.

It is without doubt that the state created at independence was a foreign state coloured with African so-called nationalism which in actual sense was imperialism in the new form.

From its on set, the African state was weak and vied that way by the colonial masters. Weak because it was artificial and engaged on nation-building on fleeting sands of renamed roads, national flag, national dress and national anthem. This activity ignored the fact that nations are not built on such weak links. One can see that the African leaders who immerged in the struggle for independence, stepped in the same shoes of the colonialists by maintaining a colonial state by the same means the colonial maintained them- force.

It did not take long after the flag independence to get into civil war, and this time it was a war to conquer the Africans by Africans. Had African people been allowed to have states evolve naturally, they would have definitely arranged themselves on ethnic basis which would have been alright. A glimpse in African history we see emperies arranged on ethnic base and small groups absorbed by larger ones. This did not happen for nations that immerged from colonialism. Nations before and after independence were dubbed tribes and maintained thus by force.

The African experience from 1950s to the present shows that the people's aspirations were never realised and thus the continuous conflicts that are not likely to end any where in the foreseeable future. Yet, we continue to misdirect false efforts in the wrong direction for securing of a misunderstood future. Our countries continue to be cauterised by foreign domination, foreign ownership of viable businesses, external financial control, institutionalised corruption, external military dependence to intimidate citizens, less indigenous involvement in political decision-making, etc, thus failed state systems.

The African state no matter what form of government it adopts, it remains the hindrance to peace. Coupled with the geo-political interests of the new colonial masters, it does not matter whether civil war or human rights abuses are curried out with impunity. In fact, these days genuine civil uprising can easily be labelled terrorism. The days for liberation seem to be fading away.

In the light of our current situations, it is imperative that peace building efforts should start from the grassroots level and should be honest in handling serious structural conditions that nourishes intractable conflicts. It is important politicians engage in building sustainable institutions that can settle once and for all marginalised issues of nations such as the Luo of Kenya , Baganda of Uganda , the Masai etc. You cannot build a nation by marginalising groups of people; rather you do so by involving every one on equal terms. Tribalising and personalising the state will keep Africa in wars forever. Whoever does this is an enemy of peace.

Kayumba David

Student of peace

Brussels

xxxxx Sign Up