| Abstract: | Contributors to the contemporary intellectual debate on multipartyism in Africa, be they Africans or Africanists, have developed two perspectives. The first perspective states that multipartyism is an imposition on Africa by the developed North and is a new form of dominating the world (L. Kafureeka, S. Decalo, M. Owusu, O. Oyediran and A. Agbaje, I.K. Musoke, Basil Davidson, Andre Frank, Jean Copans). The second perspective sees multipartyism as a positive development in Africa and as an aspect of democracy (M. Mmuya and A. Chaligha, I.G. Shivji, M. Mamdani, S.P. Ripley, N. Kasfir). The present author argues that the first perspective overemphasizes the international dimension, ignores completely the internal struggles in the form of strikes and demonstrations within Africa, and blocks the multiparty debate by foreclosing inquiry into the sustainability of a multiparty system in Africa. The second perspective, on the other hand, recognizes the struggles of the African masses, urbanites and peasants and locates inquiry around them. It is Afrocentric and a useful starting point. The author adds another dimension to it, by conceptualizing the movement towards multipartyism as a struggle for the realization of the peoples' right to self-determination. |
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