The lecture "Democracy in Africa: past, present and future" was held at the Development Policy Centre of the Australia National University on the 12th April 2017. 

The powerpoint slides and the audio recording of lecture are now available on soundcloud and itunes podcast. 

Synopsis

Africa has a rich history; old and diverse cultures; and abundant and varied natural resources. Yet, a large majority of Africans remain poor, disenfranchised and oppressed. For five and half centuries, the trajectory of Africa’s autonomous development was distorted by the intervention of nascent Europe: the slave trade, the colonial venture and the Cold War. A legacy of the colonial system, the prototype independent African state has failed to deliver freedom, democracy and prosperity, giving rise to a crisis of legitimacy and relevance.

Against this backdrop, this lecture will discuss the basic causes of the democratic deficit in Africa today and its prospects. The discourse will focus on the concept of self-determination as a political right of: one, a nation to independence; two, a people to a government of their choice; and three, diverse groups to autonomy in the management of their day-to-day affairs.

'Democracy in Africa: Past, Present and Future' was part of a series of lectures given in University of New England in Parramatta (7 April 2017), the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies of the University of Sydney (10 April 2017) , Development Policy Centre of the Crawford School of Public Policy of the Australian National University in Canberra (12 April 2017). If you would like to read the full text, click here.