Reference no: EM133318173

Question: Culture and democracy: What are the threats to democracy in Africa ? will African's calls for better democracy in Africa ?

Case Study: In a few areas, the African Union's approach to democracy differs from that of the United States. The first is that while America is more concerned with state stability than the African Union is with individual rights. While America is more concerned with upholding a single culture, the African Union is also more accommodating of other cultures and customs. Finally, compared to America, the African Union is more inclined to use force to defend democracy.

Corruption is the greatest danger to African democracy. African politicians often put their personal financial interests ahead of the welfare of their people. As a result, there is a great deal of poverty, inequality, and mistrust of the government. The emergence of religious fundamentalism is another danger to democracy in Africa. In many nations, this has resulted in bloodshed and instability, making it hard for democracy to spread.

It's questionable whether African leaders will be able to heed the demands of the populace for improved democracy. There is still a lot of poverty, corruption, and bloodshed in many African nations. There have, however, recently been some achievements, such as in Rwanda and Ghana. If these results can be repeated on a broader scale, only time will tell.

In the context of democracy, legitimacy refers to the belief that the government is just and has the right to rule. In Africa, democracy is often seen as illegitimate because it is seen as imposed by Western powers. African democracies are also often seen as being corrupt and not representing the will of the people. This is in contrast to the United States, where democracy is seen as legitimate and representative of the people. There are threats to democracy in both Africa and the United States, but African countries are more likely to experience coups and other forms of instability due to their lack of legitimacy. African leaders who are committed to democracy may have difficulty winning support from their citizens, who may prefer a more autocratic government.

Since the state is the primary institution through which democracy is implemented, a nation's level of democracy will primarily depend on how democratic its state is. Generally speaking, African governments are less democratic than American states; hence, African democracy is less democratic than American democracy. This is caused by a variety of variables, including the fact that African governments usually are more recent and less established than American ones and have a longer history of authoritarian control. High levels of poverty, violence, and corruption are just a few of the particular difficulties that African governments deal with, which make establishing and maintaining democracy more challenging. Consequently, compared to American democracy, African democracy is often more brittle and ineffective.

It is crucial to remember that there are major differences in Africa's level of democracy. While some African nations, like Zimbabwe and Sudan, have far less democratic governments than other nations, like Ghana and Senegal, their democracies are generally robust and durable. An increasing number of Africans are calling for further democratic changes, and the African Union has made progress in recent years to support democracy and good governance across the continent. Because of this, it's feasible that in the future, democracy in Africa may advance.

There are several factors contributing to Africa's fragile and weak status. These include the consequences of colonialism, which left Africa with underdeveloped institutions; the lack of economic development, which makes it difficult for the state to provide essential services and meet the needs of its citizens; and the difficulties associated with leading such a vast and diverse continent. Due to this, democracy in Africa is facing a variety of difficulties, such as a lack of democratic traditions, a high level of corruption, and a number of unstable regimes.

In addition, the emergence of populism and authoritarianism poses a challenge to African democracy. Populist leaders have developed in several African nations, promising to solve their nations' issues and enhance the quality of life for their people. They have, however, often fallen short of keeping these commitments and have instead consolidated their own authority and suppressed their rivals. As a result, democracy has deteriorated in many African nations.

The fact that many African nations are dealing with significant security issues, such as the danger of terrorism and the emergence of violent extremism, further complicates the situation. As a result, it has become more difficult for African democracies to run efficiently and there has been a deterioration in respect for the law and human rights.

However, there are also some encouraging developments for African democracy. Freedom House has raised the number of nations it considers to be "free" from 16 in 1995 to 22 in 2015, while reducing the number of nations it considers to be "partly free" from 30 to 26 over the same time. Additionally, more Africans than ever before currently reside in nations with competitive multiparty elections.