This essay argues that historians need to engage with the history of contemporary Africa both as a way of throwing new light on Africa's more remote past and as a way of understanding the present.... Show moreThis essay argues that historians need to engage with the history of contemporary Africa both as a way of throwing new light on Africa's more remote past and as a way of understanding the present. It considers how a new generation of works on Africa's contemporary history might be written. Most of the examples chosen concern Africa south of the Sahara, but some of the remarks may also apply to North Africa. The essay briefly discusses some of the techniques used in writing contemporary history before going on to examine particular themes that could be addressed in regard to Africa. The second half of the essay concerns the sources that historians of contemporary Africa have at their disposal. Here it is argued that, although sources are abundant, they are not always of a type that historians feel comfortable in using. This may have an effect on the way historians insert Africa in the time-scales generally used in world history, just as it is having an effect on the way in which Africans tend to think of themselves in relation to their own past. Notes, ref., sum Show less
Dit essay gaat in op lange-termijnperspectieven voor Afrika. De auteur stelt dat in het Westen de Afrikaanse situatie te vaak gezien wordt in het licht van een evolutieschema, waaruit ook de... Show moreDit essay gaat in op lange-termijnperspectieven voor Afrika. De auteur stelt dat in het Westen de Afrikaanse situatie te vaak gezien wordt in het licht van een evolutieschema, waaruit ook de begrippen 'ontwikkeling' en 'vooruitgang' zijn afgeleid. Wanneer we de huidige situatie van Afrika vanuit dit gezichtspunt bekijken, zal het continent in de meeste opzichten niet blijken te voldoen aan de criteria van 'vooruitgang'. De auteur is van mening dat een nieuwe visie vereist is. Hij stelt dat de belangrijkste problemen waaronder Afrika gebukt gaat, uiteindelijk politiek van aard zijn. Afrika's politieke problemen dienen geanalyseerd te worden in het kader van een breed menselijk perspectief. Daartoe moeten sleutelelementen uit de Afrikaanse geschiedenis bestudeerd worden. Zo beschikten grote delen van Afrika tot de koloniale tijd niet over iets dat vergelijkbaar was met een Europese staat. Veel lokale gemeenschappen in Afrika hebben ook nu nog een hoog gehalte aan zelfbestuur. Zowel Afrikanen als niet-Afrikanen zouden serieus moeten nadenken over de manier waarop in de samenleving gewortelde ideeën over loyaliteit en sociale verplichtingen vertaald kunnen worden in doeltreffende en duurzame publieke instituties. Noten, samenv. in het Engels (p. 227) Show less
All religion is based on a belief in the existence of invisible forces which influence human destiny. So important is belief of this sort in contemporary thought, the authors argue, that many... Show moreAll religion is based on a belief in the existence of invisible forces which influence human destiny. So important is belief of this sort in contemporary thought, the authors argue, that many Africans appear to believe that the widely attested malaise of their public life may be explained largely by reference to these invisible forces. Among the evidence for this assertion is the rapid growth of movements of religious renewal or revival which are to be found in all parts of Africa today. Some of the ideas articulated by and within these movements may be construed as a critique of the way in which power is organized. This article discusses what power is and how it is represented from various points of view before examining the political implications of the growth of new religious movements in Africa, Bibliogr., notes, ref Show less
Fundamental changes are taking place within the African State system which is still, in essence, the one created by the colonial powers and inherited at independence by the governments of modern... Show moreFundamental changes are taking place within the African State system which is still, in essence, the one created by the colonial powers and inherited at independence by the governments of modern Africa. Powerful forces in the industrialized world continue to have a crucial influence on events in the African continent. This paper identifies some of the key features of the emerging political economy of Africa, focusing on the manner in which external forces combine with internal ones in affecting Africa's politics. It pays attention, amongst others, to the importance of foreign aid as a source of revenue for African elites; the industrialized world's misperceptions of Africa; democratization and the decline of African States since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989; surviving patterns of precolonial political entities; new economic patterns in Africa; the policy of the industrialized world towards Africa and the role of African political elites now that, with the end of the Cold War, Africa has lost its global significance; the end of the Cold War as the real end of the colonial order in Africa and the intimate connection to the present crisis of African States; the collapse of African States and the world's policy of abandonment. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum Show less
The article describes some of the main political events which took place in Togo in mid to late 1991, at a time when the power of President Gnassingbé Eyadéma was facing more serious opposition... Show moreThe article describes some of the main political events which took place in Togo in mid to late 1991, at a time when the power of President Gnassingbé Eyadéma was facing more serious opposition than at any time since his assumption of the presidency twenty-four years earlier, and examines how these events were represented in popular discussion in Lomé. The main forum of debate was the National Conference inaugurated in Lomé in July 1991. The work of the conference was both supplemented and encouraged by the growth of the free press. Another source of information was the form of oral communication known in French as 'radio trottoir'. By analysing some aspects of the power struggle in that period, and popular perceptions of them, the article aims to shed light on the cultural mechanisms by which Eyadéma sustained himself in power and through which his power could be contested. It argues that 'radio trottoir' is a crucial element in the interplay of forces between State and civil society in Togo. Bibliog., note, sum. in English and French Show less
This article is based on research into the healing ministry of Monsignor Emmanuel Milingo, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Lusaka from 1969 to 1983. On the basis of an analysis of a collection of some... Show moreThis article is based on research into the healing ministry of Monsignor Emmanuel Milingo, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Lusaka from 1969 to 1983. On the basis of an analysis of a collection of some 250 letters written to the Archbishop in 1979 and 1980 by people in need of spiritual healing or guidance, it examines the relationship between spirit possession and the request for healing and social class, Christianity, urban life, ethnicity, and gender. It further discusses the pathology of spirit possession, the limits of traditional healing, and the politics of possession, and concludes that the recent growth of spirit possession and healing in Zambia indicates a failure of both the Church and the State. The case of Milingo shows that the Church does have the potential to deal with popular spiritual needs, but is unwilling to do so because of the problems this would pose in the political and theological spheres. Notes, ref Show less
