Relevance of - United Nations Economic Commission for Africa

With respect to leaders in the decentralized political systems, the ability of elders to
take measures that diverge from the interests of the community is limited, since they
do not control decision-making. The actors in this traditional system are, thus, the
state and the community. If the State is democratic and shares common interests with
the community, the elders become resources for advancing the shared interests. If the
State’s interests diverge from those of the community, however, the elders serve to
articulate the demands of the community.
3.2. Convergence of traditional political values with modern
democratic governance
The nature of their underlying political values is another factor that gives traditional
institutions the potential to contribute to Africa’s democratization process. It is likely
that the more traditional political values converge with democratic principles in
their dispensation, the greater would be their potential to contribute to democratic
transformation of the continent. It is always risky to generalize about African traditional
institutions, given their diversity. Nevertheless, the most common political values and
practices in the decentralized political systems include:
• Decentralization of power;
• Direct participation in decision-making;
• Resolution of conflicts by narrowing differences;
• Respect for dissent and protection of minority views and interests by requiring
consensus on decisions;
• Narrowing the gap between the rulers and the ruled through direct participation
of all adult males in making and in enforcing rules;
• Shortening the term of service of office holders; and
• Equitable access to land.
These values clearly contradict claims that the political culture tends to be vertically
organized in rural African societies (Yoder, 1998). Such practices are also not limited
to decentralized systems. Most of these values are widely held at the grassroots level
in most chieftaincy systems. As a result, they are African political values rather than
political values limited to a specific type of a political system.
Undoubtedly, traditional African political values have limitations that necessitate
reforms, particularly in the area of gender relations, as indicated in the first section of
the paper. This limitation notwithstanding, there is little doubt that African political
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