I've been following elections in the Central African Republic on @AlJazeera.
This got me thinking about "democracy in Africa". Some believe democracy is regressing, others believe it is on the rise. I think the answer is a bit complex.
I think Africans are getting tired of the ritual of holding "elections" every four years - especially as "elections" neither guarantee economic growth, internal security nor provision of public goods.
I mean, Somalia conducts "elections", but how relevant are these "elections"?
At the same time, it is impossible to ignore a yearning for more civil liberties and improvement in governance. This goes beyond "elections" - and is what drove movements like #EndSARS in Nigeria & movements in Angola, Algeria, Sudan, Uganda etc.
So it is possible that African publics will sour on the idea of electoral democracy (especially when it does not "deliver"), but still push for more inclusion, more respect for human rights and demand to be better governed.
Politics here is about to get a lot more complicated.
This will be a challenge for Western (especially US) diplomats who are a lot more interested in the "form", not the "substance" of democracy in Africa.
To these people "democracy" is a little more than a box ticking exercise, with "elections" being the only thing that matters.
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I watched Yvette Cooper tear Suella Braverman to pieces.
Many Africans haven't fully appreciated what the UK Conservative Government's singular on focus really Rwanda means.
It means the UK Government prefers African authoritarians, who do their bidding, to African democracies.
Trust me, this isn't the time for shallow thinking.
If you extrapolate, you'll understand the implications.
Some of you believe "Kagame is smart" by accepting the offer. Trust me, he isn't - he's cementing Africa's reputation as a dumping ground for Europe's problems.
I'm not going to bore you with the details - just use your brains, do a little thinking.
Also internalize this, just as Europe sees Africa as a dumping ground for its migrant problems - they also sees Africa as a dumping ground for their "climate change" problems.