Exfarmer
Member
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An interesting article of a few years ago written by an Eritrean with his take on the reasons for failure of Western-style democracy in Africa, and I quote some of it below:
"If you ask almost all Africans what they want most from their leaders they will tell you;
1) Enough food to eat.
2) Clean water to drink
3) A roof over their heads
4) Accessible and affordable medical care
5) Education for their children
Elections are way down on the list of grassroots African priorities.
Food, water, shelter and medical care, if a countries leadership is getting these priorities taken care of then they are actually practicing democracy and if they don’t provide these services to their people they are not democratic, no matter the praised heaped on them by their neo-colonial masters in the west.
All of the nations of Africa except one are caught in the western elections trap. And all of Africa except one is bleeding, and in more than one way.
Many if not most African countries pay more in interest on their debts to western banks than the combined total of all expenditures on medical care and education.
Many if not most African countries suffer from food dependency, they do not grow enough food to feed their people.
Many if not most African countries are economic basket cases, even Nigeria with its oil, staggering from one western bankster emergency bailout to another.
Everywhere you look in Africa it seems you see conflict and war and everywhere you look you see western style “democracy”, elections.
It is so bad then when an election is held without a major outbreak of violence it is considered a “victory for African democracy” even if the serving president is the only one on the ballot (see “Liberia; Plenty ‘democracy’, No electricity”).
After WWII, the western colonialists found out the hard way that they couldn’t continue to militarily occupy their “possessions”, so they created neocolonialism to control Africa and used western style “democracy” to run it.
Traditionally, Africans practiced their own forms of “democracy”, most often via a council of elders persuading all parties to arrive at a consensus where everyone got something.
It wasn’t a win or lose situation like takes place in a western style election.
Being that all parties agreed to the final decision, all parties were duty bound to respect and enforce what they had agreed to, and thus the peace was kept and folks got along with each other.
As for national decisions, there were kings or high chiefs who almost always consulted a council of tribal or clan elders. In many societies, and this was a society of villages, there were oftentimes chiefs, but still the most often used dispute resolution was consensus, a mediation by elders. Peace was maintained and societal unity preserved.
Western “democracy” in Africa creates just the opposite. In Kenya, the Kikuyu, an ethnic minority installed in power by the departing British empire has to win the election or risk losing everything to their larger tribal rivals, the Luo. The result? Elections and thousands dead and hundreds of thousands displaced. This upcoming election may see even worse.
The Congo? Ethiopia? Even that supposed success story for African Democracy, Senegal, saw blood in the streets.
Yet there is one island of peace and stability in the midst of all this chaos and crisis. One place where the people of the country, especially the people of the villages, still some 70%, will tell you that the government has kept its promises, and the proof is there for all to see. The solar powered wells, the micro dams for irrigation, the medical clinics and schools, all are spreading to even the most remote villages.
HIV/AIDS down by 40%, the best in Africa by a mile, malaria mortality down 80%, the biggest breakthrough in malaria history. Maternal and infant mortality seeing “remarkable improvement” (from the World Bank, no less) and the Millennium Development goals all on track for achieving. And on top of this, the fastest growing economy in Africa.
The one real success story in Africa and the only country NOT to have elections.
Maybe, just maybe, not allowing western “democracy” is what it takes for Africa to succeed.
Eritrea and Eritreans want nothing to do with neocolonialism and “democracy” western style. No thanks, we have our own version of democracy, real democracy, and our people are seeing the benefits.
Paradise? No, life is still hard for most, but the very poorest are the priority and their lives have changed, dramatically.
In Africa the poor are most of the people and if you are not taking care of them first and foremost, you are NOT democratic.
If elections mean democracy, and sick and hungry children in their millions is business as usual than Eritreans will tell you to keep your “democracy”. This is about Africa’s one “undemocratic” country, where peace reigns and our lives are getting better, especially for those most in need.
Don’t shoot me, I am just the messenger, though a real believer in the message. I have lived here in Eritrea since 2006 and am telling you what I have witnessed and come to believe in."
EDIT: Oops, forgot to give the source
https://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2012/05/01/destroying-africa-with-western-democracy/
What complete rubbish, this must be one of the most outrageous posts I have ever read.
Eritrea has the highest percentage of emigration of any country in the world, there is a very good reason
Read up on your subject before writing such ballcocks pleas
