6 July to 13 July

Globalisation, authoritarianism and violence against democracy in Africa

People everywhere aspire to live in a society where rights are guaranteed and respected. This explains why the people of Africa fought valiantly against colonial rule. Today, their rights are being attacked from both the local and the international fronts. Most post-colonial African states are even more draconian than their former colonial rulers, unleashing flagrant authoritarianism with a view to maintaining a stranglehold on power. Violence against democracy takes many forms, including ethnic cleansing, harassment, torture, victimisation, raping, detention, maiming and killing of political opponents (perceived or real). This explains why Africa has more refugees than any other continent. Rather than being real contests, elections are often reduced to farce, conducted merely to give incumbent parties a veneer of legitimacy.

On the international front, institutions of globalisation, including the IMF, the World Bank, The World Trade Organisation and Multinationals, have embarked on a 'hegemonic project' in which they have subjected the rights of African people to the canons of globalisation. The celerity, ferocity and catholicity of the forces of globalisation represent the 'new scramble for Africa'. The people of Africa are thus being subjected to 'double bullying' as their rights are abused from both the national and the international fronts.

Moses Tofa (MSc International Relations) Department of Political and Administrative Studies, University of Zimbabwe.