Page 40 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 9

MY AFRIKA

remain deeply contested in most of Terrorism, The Non-Aggression As many have argued, there are
African countries. These issues and Common Defense Pact, African many factors that have played a role
continue to generate conflicts Charter on Maritime Security and in limiting inclusive development in
around constitutive features of state Safety and Development in Africa, Africa.
and nationhood and remain at the African Charter on Democracy,
heart of political struggles in many Elections and Governance as well as In his 2011 paper Running While
societies including countries with the Convention on Preventing and Others Walk: Knowledge and the
consolidated international borders. Combatting Corruption. Challenge of Africa’s Develop-
In addition, regional and global eco- ment, another Malawian economist
nomic, technological and ideological Despite these efforts by the African Thandika Mkandawire argues that
processes are reshaping notions of Union and various other stakehold- development, especially in the
the relevant and legitimate bound- ers to establish peace in Africa, African context, must be seen as
aries of territories and identities. In armed conflicts continue to persist a ‘liberatory human aspiration’ to
most of Africa, regions and popu- in various parts of the continent. attain freedom from political, eco-
lations have been incorporated into nomic, ideological, epistemological,
the national polity in highly uneven The nature of violent conflicts in and social domination. Arguably,
ways, leading to real and perceived Africa has changed since before in- even when it comes to economic
group exclusion. In such politically dependence when they were mostly development Mkandawire has also
divided societies, violent conflict ideologically-driven guerrilla war- conceived development as a ‘libera-
remains a serious threat because the fare. Many of the current conflicts tory human aspiration’. Issa Shivji,
distribution of political power are are driven by prospects of political the Tanzanian legal scholar and
high-stake issues. power or financial gain, with armed other notable academics have also
groups fighting to acquire valuable made supportive points.
Conflict prevention, needless to say, mineral resources, assert their ideol-
is one of the most urgent tasks fac- ogy or address grievances. That said, for a very long time, com-
ing the African continent, as recent munities across Africa have been
events in Angola, Sierra Leone, and Structural Violence engaged in an emotional search for
the Democratic Republic of the My argument from the start has justice, whereas all we have received
Congo (DRC) have demonstrated. been that in order to silence the for an equally long time has been
To its credit, the African Union artilleries, Africa needs an all-inclu- mere cheats, imperfect pictures bor-
has initiated various treaties related sive developmental agenda that will rowed from the Western world that
to promoting peace, security and ensure poverty is eradicated, income present to us a simulacrum designed
good governance. These instru- distribution is improved upon and to win our assent to conceptions
ments include; the African Charter that social progress is sustained for which are profoundly unjust.
on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the all Africans. With these things in
Convention for the Elimination of place, the guns will simply go silent. Kenya’s ‘BBI’ Initiative
Mercenarism in Africa, Convention As a way of example, in Kenya,
on the Prevention and Combating for instance, the ongoing Building

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