Description
A gaze at Francophone Africa in the recent years raises the issue of democracy as being a core challenge of the region. The latter has long been characterized by constant struggles for freedom and access to a more liberal political, social and economic ecosystem due to the prevailing context of persistent abuse and militarization. Such a context finds its rationale in the heavy French colonial legacy that left indelible scars on the continent. Thus, a democratic discourse consists in a profound cry for liberation and overall fulfillment of constituents. An overview of the Francophone African region lately highlights unprecedented but successful coups in at least five countries, with the latest being Gabon, Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. The evolving dynamics in the region relate to military coups, capricious amendments of the constitution, unconstitutional transfers of power, the forgery of the poll and electoral results, the absence of political diversity in the parliamentary body, the arbitrary arrest of political opponents and the overall deprivation of fundamental rights. This paper seeks to reflect on these crises from a global governance perspective and raises the dire need to formulate solution-oriented policies towards bridging the democratic gaps observed on the continent. Though it appears Francophone Africa has not been a much fertile ground for democracy and remains at an experimental stage, it is crucial to ponder on the true meaning of democracy in the African context. This work submits that democracy should mean more than political structures, government body and decision-making processes, especially when these become only a façade to perpetuate authoritarianism. As a result, democracy in Africa would not constitute an event, but entail progressive struggles to shift current militarization dynamics. The democratic discourse wished for in Francophone Africa should be built on an African dream embedded in its realities.
