Ethnic Identities and the Political Processes in Africa (Essay Sample)

Have Ethnic Identities Assisted or Hindered Development and Related Political Processes in Africa, Discuss
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Have Ethnic Identities Assisted or Hindered Development and Related Political Processes in Africa, Discuss
Africa is a continent under siege. This assertion stems from the fact that this continent’s challenges are directly connected to colonialism, which only ended in theory but persisted in practice (Deng, 1997). Even more unsettling is the fact that these challenges can neither be wished away nor reset without dismantling most, if not all, African states. Traditionally, African societies were organized around family, lineage, clan, tribe, and ethnic groupings (Deng, 1997). These units constituted the African society’s social, economic, and political building blocks. However, with the arrival of colonialists, these formations were ignored in most cases or abused in others. For instance, the colonial masters relied on local strongmen in some areas to advance their pursuits while oppressing similar individuals in other regions for the same reason (Berman, 1998). Additionally, during the creation of modern African states, borders were drawn arbitrarily, splitting some ethnic groupings with common characteristics and bringing together others with little in common (Deng, 1997). These inconsiderate colonialist decisions laid the foundation for negative ethnicity, which continues to hamper Africa’s economic and political progress today.
The continent’s history is replete with examples demonstrating this reality. The Rwandan genocide is an apt case in point. In 1994, the Hutu-led government perpetrated mass killings against Tutsis, almost wiping them out. This minority group dominated the country’s leadership for many years and was on the brink of recapturing power through