Pasha 86: Why it's wrong to be pessimistic about democracy in Africa

The state of democracy on the continent is often depicted as generally negative. But the reality is more nuanced. African countries represent a spectrum, from relatively stable democracies like Botswana, Ghana and South Africa to problem spots where opposition and transfers of power are not tolerated. There is no single trend. Tanzania, Ivory Coast and Guinea may appear to be backsliding towards authoritarianism, but they don't represent the entire continent.

In today's episode of Pasha Nic Cheeseman, Professor of Democracy at the University of Birmingham, discusses influential forces such as urbanisation, and what can be done to deepen democracy on the continent.

Photo: Democracy word in a dictionary. Democracy concept. By Casimiro PT Shutterstock

Music: “Happy African Village” by John Bartmann, found on FreeMusicArchive.org licensed under CC0 1 .

“African Moon” by John Bartmann, found on FreeMusicArchive.org licensed under CC0 1.0 Universal License. .

By Ozayr Patel, Digital Editor