In Search of African Leadership Destiny: Revolutions, Elections, or Dialogue?

Abstract

Having broken the chains of colonialism and cut its umbilical cord in the 1960s, the African leadership destiny seems continuously unclear to the citizens. The continent faced the 1960s Anticolonial revolutions with much hope and enthusiasm that at last the Africans themselves in charge will herald the much desired leadership in contrast to one which never met their expectations. The independence struggle (the first liberation) ushered in a lost hope. The second liberation (the MultiParty Revolutions) led by the political elites in 1990s came with strength and vigor and indeed favored by the international politics then, saw African conflicts drastically decline. But there seems to be an imminent change in the gains two decades later in Africa, a time when its development is picking up and growth in human capital favoring more development that an experience of consciousness revolution is building up (Anti-Status quo conflicts) coupled with urban uprisings as witnessed in North Africa. Is this likely to be the third liberation? a time for the mixed middle class to show leadership destiny needed in the continent. Questions being asked in this paper are; which is the required solution? Is it dialogue, elections, or revolutions? Using the objectives of; finding out the problem(s) with African leadership, evaluating the use of dialogue, elections, and revolutions, and highlighting some possible solutions to this situation, the authors, by use of available literature made some valuable addition to knowledge for re-shaping the destiny of this continent’s leadership in the conclusions and recommendations. In a major way, the authors find the subject of leadership destiny very key for politics and development of Africa.