Civil Society and Democratisation in Francophone Africa

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Periodical article

Title:	Civil Society and Democratisation in Francophone Africa
Author:	Monga, Célestin
Year:	1995
Periodical:	Journal of Modern African Studies
Volume:	33
Issue:	3
Period:	September
Pages:	359-379
Language:	English
Geographic term:	French-speaking Africa
Subjects:	political systems democracy Politics and Government
External link:	https://www.jstor.org/stable/161481
Abstract:	How can a reciprocal contract between the State and civil society be defined so that democratic governance in Africa is more likely? How can communal anger be steered so as to avoid its degeneration into an anarchic cacophony behind the masks of an amorphous civil society? How can the credibility of the State be reestablished, providing firmer foundations for 'private' society whilst simultaneously achieving a better 'rate of democratic citizenship per person'? How can we ensure that the social rights won from the State through the struggle of NGOs and groups correspond to new political obligations for the electorate? The author addresses these questions, focusing on francophone Africa. He argues that civil society will only acquire ethical objectives through a better educated middle class since its members are in the forefront of those fighting for political space. The article is an updated version of a chapter in the author's 'Anthropologie de la colère: société civile et démocratie en Afrique noire' (1994). Notes, ref.