Whereas the world is moving towards nomocracy, Africa is moving away

With this barefaced appointment, Africa once again strategically added another son of the big men to start a journey of moving close to his father’s power.

Should anything happen to the big man as were cases in the DR Congo, Gabon and Togo and just recently in Chad, the successor apparent would take over from the father. Call these political spongers princes.

For reminder, when Laurent Kabila was killed in 2001, his son Joseph, then a Maj Gen and deputy chief of staff in his father’s army, filled the vacuum to mark the beginning of a parasitic family rule in the highest public office in a country already ravaged by violent civil wars and tinpot dictatorship under Mobutu Sese Seko.

Apart from Joseph Kabila, four years thereafter, another prince, Faure Essozima Gnassingbe Eyadema current Togolese president, took over after the death of his father, Gnassingbe Eyadema.
Before, Faure was minister of public works, mines and telecommunications in his father’s long-time dictatorship.

Five years later, father-to-son inheritance of presidency was repeated in Gabon where Ali Bongo took office after the death of his father Omar Albert Bongo Ondimba who’d ruled for 42 years. Before, Ali Bongo was minister of foreign affairs and cooperation in his father’s government.

Africa will always surprise. For in 2019, Bongo appointed his eldest son, Noureddin Bongo Valentin, assistant to the president of all affairs of government.
As if what transpired in DRC, Gabon and Togo wasn’t enough, in Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbassogo – who’s the current longest serving African president – appointed his oldest son, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mangue his vice president in 2016.

Whereas the three above succeeded their fathers, one Karim Abdoulaye Wade, who was minister of state for international cooperation, regional development, air transport, and infrastructure in his father’s government, and Saif al-Islam Gaddafi didn’t.
Wade tried to tinker with the constitution to cling onto power to no avail, whereas Gaddafi was butchered by his own people after the uprisings that sank his 42-year rule. The duo, thus, vanished from the political scene after their fathers were booted out.

As for Denis-Christel and Teodoro Mangue, among others, though haven’t sat on the seat of president, are the princes waiting in the wings to ascended the throne.
This systemic twaddle seems to have been normalised around the world.

While these self-serving strongmen have held their poor citizens at ransom, the international community has always turned a blind eye and deaf ear to these injustices.
Since some Western hypocrites covertly benefit from these dictatorships, human rights are inconsequential. After all, when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was indorsed in 1948, it didn’t apply to Black, poor or women.

In sum, whereas democracy has thrived around the world, in Africa areas revolving around nepotism have increased exponentially.
Whereas the world is experiencing nomocracy, or government in accordance with a system of law, Africa seems to be moving in the opposite direction.

Mhango is a lifetime member of the Writers’ Alliance of Newfoundland and Labrador         [email protected].