Earlier this month I wrote a blog documenting three elections in Africa, and I wrote it with the idea that I would continue to update the struggles for democracy in Tanzania, Guinea, and Cote d’Ivoire. While it’s cool to actually follow through on my idea and follow the political climates in these three nations, recent developments in Guinea quickly reminded me of the heartbreaking instability inherent in African politics.
Guinea attempted to return to civilian rule for the first time since the military took control of the state in late 2008 through legitimate (by Western standards) elections. Voting took place and a winner was declared on Monday. Yet instead of celebrating the successful return of democracy to the volatile nation, ethnic fighting erupted in the streets. The winner, ethnic Malinke Alpha Conde, had only garnered 52% of the vote to beat opposition candidate, and ethnic Peul, former Prime Minister Cellou Diallo’s 47%. Rioting erupted in the streets of the capital Conakry as Diallo claimed that the election was fraudulent and named himself the winner.
Thus Guinea’s first attempt at a truly democratic initiative ended in ethnic violence as Peul and Malinke citizens soon began fighting and shooting in the streets. It’s reported that a special task force deployed by the Malinke called the Fossepel is instigating violence in the Peul neighborhoods of the capital and has partaken in attacks upon peaceful Peul citizens. As a result the military-government has declared a state of emergency and suspended many civil rights including the right to organize. Once again ethnic conflict has ruined the possibility for democracy in Africa.
Now for the why this matters part, since the importance of Western Africa doesn’t necessarily come up explicitly that often and people tend to ask me why African political news matters to Americans. There is something of note in the fact that nearly every article on Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, ect mentions the presence of oil, minerals, or other natural resources. Western Africa, as is most of the continent, is home to tons of valuable and untapped natural resources. These resources from the Third World are the lifeblood of the consumer products inherent in the First World. From the bauxite necessary for aluminum foil and all other aluminum products to the diamonds in engagement rings, Africa, specifically the Western nations, holds the world’s largest reserves.
With huge potentials for direct foreign investment and infrastructure development, Africa is a potential goldmine for capital investment; something the Chinese have taken note of and are acting upon. Across the continent Chinese-funded highways are improving transportation rates so as to aid in the export of valuable resources to Chinese factories. Resource-rich and vastly underdeveloped, Africa has a ton of potential. While I am certainly not the first and will not be the last to state this; Africa could make investors a lot of money.
The major problem standing in the way of foreign investors though is the same problem Guinea is experiencing right now; the instability of states on the continent. What should have been a celebration of a nation’s entrance into democracy was a blood bath of ethnic rioting and chaos. States resort to violence almost as often as the citizenry does, and the continent’s endemic corruption also works to scare off potential capitalists. Africa is still too risky for most investors, especially Western ones.
Democracy is supposed to be the West’s answer to this problem. Granting people a vote is meant to hold politicians accountable for their actions and ensure that governance is fair and representative of the whims of the common populace. Western investors are often opposed to the human rights violations of many of Africa’s authoritarian regimes. Democracy is supposed to correct these primary issues and open up the African market for international, and American, entrepreneurs as well as Africans themselves. Thus each setback in the continent’s progression towards democracy is another roadblock (in the eyes of the West that is).
Whether or not democracy is the best model of governance in this region of the world is a matter for a far longer discussion than this blog post, but in my eyes some things are clear. Besides the moral impetus of the near one billion people living in or near abject poverty on the African continent, economic interests make Africa of enormous importance to Americans. Our consumeristic and extremely wasteful lifestyle hinges upon the continued influx of raw materials from nations like Guinea. Thus quite frankly, what happens in Guinea does matter, especially as natural resources in the developed world become increasingly scarce and Chinese demand for them becomes increasingly enormous.
Photocredit: Wikimedia