Chiedza Vol 11 No 2 Habits of (Dis) empowerment

Abstract

The Irish poet and novelist,_ Oscar Wilde once observed that .. democracy means simply the bludgeoning of the people by the people for the people." Equally cynical about this form of government, the celebrated British statesman, Winston Churchill remarked: "the best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter." While we do not propose to be quite so light-hearted about the matter, this edition of Chiedza takes a searching look at democracy, particularly as it is practiced in Africa. The recent political upheavals in Kenya have sparked off much debate about the state of contemporary African politics and its socio-economic arrangements. Some people have interpreted it positively as a sign of hope for better things to come, accompanying the winds of change and transformation that are seemingly blowing across Africa as we enter a new era of heightened political awareness and its demands. Others are not so optimiStic and point to the crippling cost to the already overburdened Kenyan taxpayer that the new and enlarged power-sharing deal will entail. Yet, one does not even have to look far from home for evidence of the failure of democracy in Africa. At the time of going to the press, the Zimbabwean people still find themselves in a quasi-limbo, having done all in their power, save resorting to violence, to throw off the bonds that oppress them. As time ebbs away, the all-too-natural cynicism of the past years replaces the glimmer of hope that flickered into life shortly after the elections. In the light of the limping democracies that litter our continent, it is appropriate that we dwell on the notions of power, empowerment and disempowerment. In the words of Sydney Harris, "democracy is the only system that persistently asks the powers that be whether they are the powers that ought to be." Some of our contributors in this issue even ask the question whether democracy "ought to· be" at all. One such contributor is Chikere Ugwuanyi, who argues that Africa needs to start thinking beyond the narrow confines of democracy, and if it is to keep democracy at all, it needs a radical overhaul. Augustine Ekeno, with particular reference to the Kenyan situation, also critiques the mechanisms inherent in the democratic system that tend to promote the mobilization of the populace around ethnic lines instead of around a national identity. While also focusing on Kenya, Festo Mkenda staunchly defends the ideals of the democratic system, based as they are on the fundamental equality of all people. He is convinced that a well-ordered democracy requires a good constitution that delineates solid structures of democratic procedure, an essential sadly lacking in Kenya, in his view. Pontiano Ngondwe draws our attention to the situation in Uganda and its crisis of democracy that also centres on ethnicity and regionalism. Candido Matusse attempts to demonstrate how the solution to Africa's political woes lies in the notion of empowering people though expanding their freedom according to Amartya Sen's Capability Approach. Raymond Ngaiza adopts a very different approach to the question of empowerment by looking at how to empower marginalized minority groups in society through affirmative action. In a similar vein, Tabona Shoko gives a detailed analysis of the plight of a specific marginalized group: the commercial farm workers in Zimbabwe after the chaotic land reform programme. The painting on the back-cover, On the Front Line by Fr. Anthony Berridge, powerfully depicts the attempt by insecure authority to disempower people through burning their books. The burning pile of books becomes more widely representative of the destruction of the freedom of thought and the capacity for reflection. Such destruction paves the way for a militant programme of indoctrination ordered towards the mindless uniformity of the masses, as is represented by the steel-plated soldiers. It is exactly against such totalitarian tendencies of insecure regimes that Kpanie Addy urges us to reflection and thoughtfulness. It is precisely this force of freedom of thought and the power of critical reflection that Chiedza, albeit in its own small way, represents and contributes to. Allow me to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to Kpanie Addy, Aondoaknla Aza, Gregory Mulobela and Kundi Nchenamilo who have served Chiedza's editorial board faithfully over the past few years. Having completed their four years here at Arrupe College, they now move onto , various different missions. Lastly, let me encourage all our readership to write into us with your comments, responses to articles and your own contributions at the email address to be found on the cover page. In the meantime, enjoy this issue. Isaac Fernandes SJ