Democracy in Black Africa: Survival and Revival

Since 1960, most newly independent African states have been controlled by military, authoritarian governments, and even those where elections take place tend to be dominated by a single party. Nevertheless, argues Wiseman, a British political scientist who has taught in Nigeria and Botswana, democracy is the political system that most accurately reflects the pluristic nature of all African states. In this optimistic study he examines the survival of democracy in Botswana, Gambia, Mauritius and Zimbabwe, its revival in Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal and elsewhere, and confidently--some would argue unrealistically--predicts that the future of African democracy is likely to be patchy and changeable but persistent. (Feb.)