Watch the inaugural joint webinar of the Institute for Democracy, Citizenship and Public Policy in Africa at the University of Cape Town and Democracy in Africa now. Check back soon for details of the next webinar on the role of judges in African politics.
Can democracy and traditional leaders co-exist in Africa? Both traditionalists and modernists often see traditional authority and elected political leaders as competitors. The struggle between the two for political power and legitimacy is seen as a zero-sum game. In this webinar Happy Kayuni, Carolyn Logan, and George Ofosu explore this question.
Carolyn Logan uses recent public opinion data (Afrobarometer) to provide an overview of how citizens view traditional leaders and their place in the political arena (incl. demand for accountability) across the continent.
Next, Happy Kayuni provides insights into the legitimacy of traditional leaders in Malawi by drawing on the perspectives of both traditional leaders and citizens.
Last but certainly not least George Ofosu focuses on the role of traditional leaders during election campaigns. Focusing on Ghana, he asks when/how traditional leaders affect citizen vote choice – do chiefs’ endorsements affect voter behavior?
Great presentation/discussion. Timely and important. Thanks, DIA!
RE George, check my piece in CCP: Bridges, bargains and brides: an empirical study on chiefly political endorsements in Ghana’s 2016 presidential election.
https://doi.org/10.1080/14662043.2021.1975956