Africa grapples with an exotic idea scripted boldly as democracy, whose pronunciation in the face of reality translates to the lack of it. Today, there is a steep rise in populism –the practice of appealing to the interests of the ordinary people—at all levels that has to be checked, not so much to disregard the idea in question but ascertain authenticity and pureness of motives of the architects.
True democracy was demonstrated as intent to offer citizens the right to civic participation and contestation, in part, through a free and fair election.
Interestingly, the United States, often deemed a healthy yardstick for democracy re-engineered the concept to give a small numerical subset of her population the ornamental right to vote the president in or out by the characteristic style of undiscerning electoral colleges. 'Celebrated Disenfranchisement?'
The perception is that not every single individual has that 'able'-mandate to vote a polemic president directly. One can become president with as little human-support and many ranches of sheep bleating his name, huh! Democracy summarized?
When this concept slipped into Africa, it was introduced as it had been penned down initially, in its attractive, albeit imperfect form. A Utopian projection to cloud an existing continental judgement on governance.
Africa struggled with a "do or die" mandate of assimilating each tit-bit of this concept to meet aid and incentives for aided development.
In the dark, democracy is a gagged and molested opinion, yet in the light, it is reflected as a social fountain, adorned in ecclesiastical red roses.
The concept of democracy erroneously carries a far-fetched illusion of equality; that every individual knows and cares about national affairs; that no economic or social differences exist.
That in most nations in Africa, where elections are ceremonial every half of a decade, the citizens are rallied and urged to stand for their intended, uninfluenced right with due diligence.
That a poor farmer, with a sole admiration for only a hoe to dig, a struggling youth whose redemption is a few cents worth to survive, more so thrive and an illustrious lawyer who, at the edges of their fingertips, comprehends every clause and article of the national constitution, probably with a self-sufficient life, are announced to shared equal rights and equal treatment.
Democracy demands that they all quantify as a majority of only a vote despite their looming influences or existential circumstances.
When prospective leaders present their stereotypical manifestos, it is with the awareness of a vast majority of their listeners as being desperate, unemployed, rebuked and uneducated. Propaganda follows after that to appeal to their gullible emotions, shoved down their throats with currency denominations so disgustingly cheap.
This is not for the black-suited lawyer who often prefers to engage in an intellectually pretentious, often ineffectual "keyboard activism", however.
Where I come from, voting is written with the caption of a ferociously schooled emotion. Just the other day, my electorally-assigned Member of Parliament' existed no more'.
At burials and marriage rituals, he was a socially ordained Oracle for funds; the blinding little cash he sent served as an auto-correct system of his non-existing leadership and relevance.
Tick-tock to the next election, he blares the scintillating horn of his cozy V8. Now, hell broke loose with all its angels on the lady that has erupted a steadfast chase for his office.
Even the Personal Assistant of the lady crossed battle lines to support the incumbent. How queer our options! The constituents' woes, troubles and distresses got second-term re-election too.
The rhetorical politician has mastery at swaying the cheap voter to supporting them, diminishing voter participation and democracy to a meagre packet of salt, a pack of sugar or if 'lucky', a kilogram of unsorted rice.
During polls, leaders put up poles. Cunningly, after, they ask for another term to avail cables and another to switch on the electricity. To avail taps of water with no connection to any source, a case of hanging pipes might be the forthcoming election-heist! Watch the space!
In effect, we live in a politics nourished in poverty; politics to rob the people's legislative bank. Justifiably, leaders spend a great deal of money to gain profits accessed by electoral support. They must refill and satisfy themselves first so the nation can wait! So absurd!
Clearly, democracy and multiparty politics are a harsh-text, incompatible with developing nations synonymous with low GDP per capita and alarming unemployment. What has been good for the geese won't be good for the ducks!
42% of Africans are in abject poverty; hundreds of thousands remain unemployed unless the created trends change. Africa is diverse, with some countries brewed with cocktails of languages and ethnicities, a one-size-fits-all approach cannot redeem the continent, therefore.
Seemingly, we have an inter-switched understanding that is mindless of the African context, rather much aligned to exotic governance.
US democracy is neither perfect. But if the US, with over $50,000 in GDP per capita still designates democracy to an earmarked 'able' group of people who can vote in/out a capable president, why shouldn't African countries rethink the entire inherited concept?
The ideals of democracy were not crafted to be faint. Neither are the principles of its subtle existence. The African governance methodology should be coherent with our innate economic struggles, consistent with our ethnic diversities; should harbour more inclusion and progress.
What works for other nations may not necessarily work for us. If the concept we have today is a democracy, it ought to be re-examined and rewritten! Sadly, a rewritten democracy is no longer a democracy!
The author is a Global Challenges student at the African Leadership University
Email: pkarekezi1@gmail.com
Twitter: @pro_youngpeople