The ugly evolution of politics in Africa

Everything changes with time, meaning things will never be the same forever and this is just the way it is. This has been the case with politics in Africa – people’s perception of politics has largely evolved around Africa over the years. Politics normally involves activities that relate to influencing the actions and policies of a government, or accumulating and clinging to power. In simpler terms it is the science of guiding or influencing governmental policy. It can be defined in many ways, but one thing is certain though – Politics does not directly mean corruption as opposed to most people’s perception of it in Africa.
For the majority of the people in Africa, this word triggers acts of corruption, fake promises and politicians who do not mind lying to attain higher positions. They no longer see politics as something that can directly or indirectly influence their different spheres of life. Because of this, most youth are either not interested in politics or they have chosen a political party that they now passionately support like one chooses to support a soccer team. They are usually not interested in hearing the policies and/or knowing the vision of these political parties of their choice. The reason for their behaviour is mostly tribal or religious. How popular the leader is, also plays a role in people’s decisions. People want a leader who tells them what they want to hear, not what is true, or what actually needs to be done to solve their problems.
From independence, most African politicians formed what has come to be known as “Patron- Client” relationships. This kind of politics has had a very negative impact on concept of politics having largely contributed to shaping how people perceive politics to be. This is because through the connections that the political elite form, they are able to dominate and maintain power for a very long time. These unscrupulous practices have largely undermined the poor and have been a major factor in ensuring that, in most African economies, wealth is unequally distributed and the ever-widening gap between the rich and the poor keeps on growing exponentially. For this dominance to continue however there has to be a connection between the ruling class and the poor. In countries such as Liberia, Zambia and most notably Uganda, these practices usually manifest in the form of patrons (rich politicians) giving material possessions such as t-shirts, bicycles and even food during political campaigning to entice the electorate into voting for them. The poor seem to have accepted their fate and they take everything that comes from all different political parties, the one party which gives more material is seen to be the most generous hence the leader of this party receives more votes.
In some countries that have managed to change governments, politicians tend to change political parties during election time, when they get a sense a change, of which way the wind is blowing, and they defect to the party that appears to be most favoured by the people. This has led to a situation where the new political party that forms the government is still full of old recycled leaders that have failed to deliver over time. Politicians who once failed their country are now seen bounced back into power, except now with a different political party tagged to their names. They ensure that they stay in power by making swift defections at a critical time. This clearly magnifies the adage “a chameleon’s character does not change with the change of its skin colour, the colour simply makes it camouflaged allowing it to blend into the environment with ease”.
This has become a style of politics in Africa. The reality is so ugly that it is now a ‘support us you get a ministerial position, or you get to remain in government for as long as possible’. The big political players have developed the ability to predict the outcomes of an election result; hence they can decide when it is necessary to move on or when to stay. This has become the new way of adaptability, establishing connections with the grassroots, so that one is always informed of who might form a government in the next election. While democratisation is taking place, the evolution of politics is taking a negative twist which is slowing down the growth of the people’s participation in politics, and culminating in reduced trust in government and politics.
Until people begin to understand the role government plays in their daily lives, they will continue to make uninformed decisions and choosing wrong leaders. Sayings such as DTA, RDP or Swapo for life have increased among the youth – political parties are being viewed like soccer teams, something that one supports, even if it stands no chance of winning. The youth’s unwillingness to read party manifestoes means politics is nothing to them, but rather a game played by corrupt people. Repeated fake promises from politicians in the past has left the older generation to simply come to a conclusion that politics is a dirty game, hence the unwillingness by the majority to participate in political activities such as voting. If we are serious about moving at the same pace as the rest of the world, then breaking down patron-client politics, corruption and increasing the awareness of people is the only way Africa will survive this ugly evolution, which is otherwise more likely to lead Africa to a dead end.

*Mario Chainda is a fourth-year student studying towards a Bachelor of Public Management at the University of Namibia.