The question of democracy in Africa

a philosophical approach

Abstract

With the departure of the colonizer from political control, in the countries of the African continent, a space of power was opened that began to be disputed. It is in this context that we consider here the processes aimed at implanting democratic regimes on African soil. Thus, the research of PIBIC that gave rise to this writing investigated the following problem: How to define the question of democracy in Africa? In other words: What are the main features present in this discussion? Using theoretical research as a working methodology, it was found that the history of the engendering of democracy in African lands (in the time frame used by us in this research, that is, the post-colonial period) is linked to three distinct models of democracy: the liberal, the one-party and the consensual. The article guides the discussion, highlighting the following points: the democracy proposed to Africa is a project developed by the West; the resistance faced by it, on African soil, since the beginning of the post-colonial period; the task reserved for philosophy, in the efforts to democratize that continent.