Toward cultural democracy: decolonizing African governance beyond liberalism and neoliberalism

Oluwakemi Damola Adejumo-Ayibiowu

Chapter 6 in The Elgar Companion to Democracy and Development in Africa, 2026, pp 99-117 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This study critiques the wholesale transplantation of Western liberal democracy and neoliberal economic reforms in Africa, arguing that these models often undermine rather than promote development and responsive governance. Anchored in decolonial and Afrocentric theory, it adopts a qualitative methodology to analyze historical, philosophical, and empirical sources, including original research from Southwest Nigeria. The findings reveal that indigenous African governance systems were historically participatory, accountable, and culturally resonant. However, the imposition of liberal democratic norms, coupled with neoliberalism, has eroded democratic sovereignty, deepened inequality, and delegitimized African agency. The chapter advances a culturally grounded model of democracy rooted in local culture and lived realities. It calls for reclaiming African intellectual traditions to design governance systems that are inclusive, context-specific, ethical, and people-centred. This approach not only challenges epistemic domination but offers a more authentic pathway to democratic renewal across the continent.

Keywords: Afrocentric Theory; Cultural Democracy; Decoloniality; Western Liberal Democracy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035348176
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