Liberation Movements as Governments: Democratic Authoritarianism in Former Settler Colonies of Southern Africa

Liberation Movements as Governments: Democratic Authoritarianism in Former Settler Colonies of Southern Africa

"The hybrid mix of authoritarianism and democracy disguised as specific form of “nationalism and national projects” (Ndlovu-Gathseni/Ndhlovu 2013) has been normalised in the postcolonial settings. In particular Zimbabwe, Namibia and South Africa, had relatively well-developed infrastructure and economies and relatively well educated populations; they emerged or consolidated at a time when the world order had decidedly become (at least formally) democratic. The notion of “good governance” was coined as the guiding principle issued by the hegemonic Western world (Abrahamsen 2000). None of these liberation movements as governments have been seriously threatened by a coup d’état. These countries were better placed than most other African states in their transition to democracies that were claiming to apply political equality in actual practice. Why have they failed to make this transformation more credible and convincing?"

Henning Melber

Basler Afrika Bibliographien

2013

© The author © Basler Afrika Bibliographien

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