One of the enduring obstacles to the consolidation of democracy in many African nations is the persistent issue of tribalism, raising problems that date back to the artificial imposition of nation states resulting from the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885.  The idea that people demand that leaders be appointed not out of merit and achievement but rather for being “one of our own” is certainly not unique to Africa (any examination of clans and political power in Russia is a start), but it is an area of the world where these sort of fault lines are most visible.

Calestous Juma, a professor of international development at Harvard University, recent wrote a fascinating piece on this subject for the BBC, arguing that the predominant political parties of the region must work harder to advance multiethnic platforms based on ideas rather than tribal bonds, otherwise “Africa’s road to doom will continue to be paved by tribal intentions.”  Excerpt below: