By Franck Essi

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For several years now, a dangerous idea has been gaining ground in African public debate: that democracy is unsuited to our realities, and even responsible for our crises and underdevelopment. In the streets, on television and on social media, voices are heard claiming that ‘democracy does not feed its people’ and that it is a luxury for countries still seeking stability.

This discourse, often repeated by those in power or by those who dream of a strong, vertical order, is based on a fundamental misunderstanding. Democracy is not the problem. The absence of real democracy is.

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What democracy really means

Democracy is not just a word to be bandied about in official speeches. It is a political system based on a few simple but demanding principles: the sovereignty of the people, the separation of powers, freedom of expression, political plurality, regular and transparent elections, citizen participation, peaceful alternation of power, and accountability of leaders.

Effective democracy therefore relies on strong institutions, a free press, an autonomous civil society, an independent judiciary, and informed and engaged citizens.

It cannot be reduced to the periodic organisation of formal elections – especially when those elections are rigged, stacked or meaningless.

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African standards of democracy

Contrary to what some would have us believe, Africa does not lack normative references for democracy. Several instruments have been adopted at the continental and regional levels. The African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, adopted in 2007 by the African Union, clearly establishes the fundamental principles of an African democratic order: respect for human rights, alternation of power, transparency, the fight against corruption, equality before the law, and social and political inclusion.

This charter is not a Western text imposed on Africa. It is the result of a continental consensus based on the deep aspirations of the African people. It affirms that development, stability and lasting peace cannot exist without a genuine democratic foundation.

The problem is not the absence of standards. The problem is the failure to respect the commitments made.

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What democracy is not

Democracy is not disorder, foreign interference, impunity or weak government. It is not democratic principles that give rise to post-election conflicts, political violence or poor governance. It is the manipulation, exploitation and betrayal of democratic principles.

When elections are organised without transparency, pluralism, free debate or independent bodies, we cannot talk about democracy. When opponents are imprisoned, the press is muzzled and the judiciary is subservient to those in power, we cannot talk about democracy. When people are called to vote but never have the right to choose, we cannot talk about democracy.

Democracy, on the other hand, is a permanent process of collective correction, where those in power must listen, adapt, be accountable and sometimes step aside. It requires active citizens, vibrant countervailing powers and a justice system that upholds the law without waiting for orders.

In many African states, what is presented as democracy is in reality nothing more than electoral authoritarianism, a façade designed to reassure donors or keep an elite in power.

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The real causes of our crises

It is too easy to blame democracy for all our ills when the roots of our crises lie elsewhere. It is patrimonial systems, corruption, economic dependence, clientelism, clan-based appropriation of the state, chronic impunity and the marginalisation of populations that are undermining our societies. It is regimes that refuse to reform, so-called elites who are accountable to no one, and predatory practices that strangle public resources.

It is not democracy that has weakened the state, it is the refusal to build republican institutions. It is not democracy that has caused conflicts, it is the repression of differences and the denial of rights. It is not democracy that has caused underdevelopment, but the confiscation of national wealth for the benefit of a minority protected by an apparatus of political violence.

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A plea for a democracy rooted in our realities

It is time to take a step back and stop caricaturing democracy. Africa needs real, active, rooted democracy, not copied but embraced. A democracy based on our values of truth, solidarity, respect for human dignity and the pursuit of the common good. A democracy inspired by our traditions of palaver, collective deliberation and responsibility to the community.

A democracy that protects the most vulnerable, values talent, guarantees fairness and allows everyone to live with dignity. African peoples aspire to freedom, justice and participation. These are fundamental needs, not imported luxuries. Our continent cannot develop or stabilise in the long term without guaranteeing these rights. Giving up democracy means giving up our sovereignty.

It means choosing submission, injustice and resignation.

Democracy is not a problem. It is a solution. It is our best tool for aligning authority and legitimacy, power and responsibility, the state and society.

Democracy is not the problem. The problem is the illusion of democracy without institutions, without citizens and without will.

It is up to us to make it real, alive and transformative.

My conviction is that restoring the meaning of democracy means restoring our collective dignity.

Franck Essi

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