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Ethnicity in Africa:
Towards a Positive Approach
by Seyoum Y.
Hameso, London, TSC, 120, pp. 1997, Reviewed by
Dan-Bright Dzorgbo
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This book seeks to
treat the issue of ethnicity in Africa in a positive
light which could enable working towards the achievement
of social justice and the effective mobilisation of
social and economic resources. The book is written with
the intention to challenge what the author sees as the
negative treatment of ethnicity in the mass media as well
as scholarly and political discourse in Africa. This is
manifested in what he calls perverse publicity offered to
ethnicity as the main cause of various socio-political
disorders in Africa. The failure to see the positive
sides of ethnicity, the author argues, has undermined
self-determination of groups and the search for peaceful
solutions to problems that arise from relations of
peoples to the post colonial state. The author maintains
that explanations of Africa’s problems in terms of
ethnicity or tribalism are simplistic and need to be
replaced by approaches which see ethnicity in a more
positive perspective. In the six chapters of the book, he
outlines and discusses how such an approach should look
like and why it is useful.
Chapter 1 provides an overview of ethnicity in the
African context. Here the author contends that there is
some common ground between what is referred to as
nationalism and ethnicity or tribalism. Ethnicity is
often tied to the term tribe and connotes a distinct
group of people sharing a common history, language,
geographical area and socio-political institutions.
Throughout history, ethnicity has often been the basis of
nationalism. Pointing out recent manifestations of ethnic
nationalism in such places as the former Soviet Union,
former Yugoslavia, Northern Ireland, Quebec, Kurdistan,
Sri Lanka and East Timor, the author argues that
ethnicity is a universal phenomenon and not unique to
Africa.
Yet in the African context, ethnicity has been given a
different meaning associated with primordial parochialism
and backwardness. The author traces this negative
conception of ethnicity to colonialism. He suggests that
the colonialist defined Africans as tribal and
uncivilised in order to justify colonial rule. In other
words the so-called tribe or ethnicity which offered a
basis for self-identification of groups is treated as a hindrance to the development of the nation state.
The chapter critiques both modernisation and Marxist
theories for their simplistic treatment of ethnicity. The
assumptions underlying modernisation that socio-economic
development and urbanisation will undermine ethnicity and
traditional values are specified and dismissed because of
the failure of development and urbanisation to melt down
ethnicity. On the contrary, the evidence shows that these
processes have reinforced ethnicity. Marxist treatment of
ethnicity as false consciousness is also debunked. The
failure of both liberal and radical discourse to treat
ethnicity as sui generis, that is, as given, has stifled
the advancement of knowledge and understanding of African
realities. The author maintains that it is time to
confront Africa’s realities and take ethnicity in
Africa seriously because for many Africans, ethnicity is
a source of collective- and self-identity.
Chapter 2 identifies three main features for
distinguishing Africa’s ethnic groups from each
other. These are (i) a community of people with physical
space and emotional attachment to this space no matter
where they find themselves; (ii) a common language and
myth of common descent; and (iii) common culture. With
these criteria one can identify an Ashanti, an Ibo, a
Kikiyu, an Oromo, etc.
Chapter 3 deals with ethnic conflicts and traces its
sources to the historical legacies of colonialism that
brought together diverse groups. It argues that attempts
by some groups to impose their languages and cultures on
others, the personalisation of the postcolonial state and
its diminished capability in recent years have led to the
revitalisation of ethnicity and kinship relations as
meaningful systems for maintaining meaning and security.
The author argues that it is not ethnicity per se that is
the cause of Africa’s problems, but the lack of
meaningful development. Conflicts were mainly responses
to failed development projects within which ethnicity is
entangled and held as scapegoat for almost everything
that went wrong. This is not to say that ethnic conflicts
are not responsible for the displacement of people and
disruption of economic activities or other problems in
African.
Chapter 4 is more empirical and examines the different
strategies, federalism and political centralisation, used
by African governments to legitimate ethnic diversity or
to subordinate it. The illustrative cases of Nigeria,
Zaire, Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, are depicted. The
experiences of these countries, however, show that it was
increasing centralisation of power and chronic incursion
of the military into politics which caused much of the
problems. Also in some of these countries, attempts to
homogenise society by the imposition of one ethnic
group’s culture, religion, etc., combined with
ethnically-induced political exclusionary practices have
resulted in war and genocide.
Chapter 5 returns to the basic aim of the study and
develops the arguments about the positive sides to
ethnicity. It argues that since ethnicity is part and
parcel of African identity, it is time to take it
seriously. The author implores us to see its positive
sides and re-affirm its existence suggesting that there
is nothing wrong to display love for one’s people.
He notes that ethnicity should be considered as a basis
for economic and political development. Positive
ethnicity, according to the author, allays fears and
suspicions of other ethnic groups, enhances respect for
other cultures, restrains the monopolistic post colonial
state, facilitates equitable distribution of resources,
all of which can enhance socio-economic progress, justice
and democracy.
These considerations are vital because in the African
context, class and religion are secondary, and it is
ethnicity that acts as a source of identification and
solidarity. The author argues that ethnic nationalism
often results from the failure of the post-colonial state
to give equal respect and status to all ethnic groups.
Positive ethnicity can be achieved by respecting and
promoting all languages, recognising and formalising
ethnicity; accepting the legitimacy of ethnic claims and
by decentralising state institutions. Provision of legal
guarantees for affirmative actions and equal opportunity
legislation acts can provide checks on the arbitrary
state and party.
The author explores the contribution that ethnicity can
make to democracy in Africa. In recent times, as a result
of the contraction of state supported social services,
ethnicity is being reinforced through self-help services
such as schools, financial support to bereaved families
etc. that ethnic associations provide. Given these, the
author suggests that we see ethnicity positively and do
not frame it as responsible for many of Africans
development problems.
Chapter 6 summarises the book. The book is
easy to read. Its argument for a positive treatment of
ethnicity is a contribution to the political sociology of
Africa. The author gives ethnicity a dimension that has
for too long been missing in African studies.[]
Dan-Bright Dzorgbo,
Department of Sociology, Uppsala University, Sweden
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