Pre-Colonial Democracy in Africa

The "kgotla" in Botswana was a traditional community forum where elders gathered with the chief to make important decisions affecting the community. Everyone had their say and was listened to until consensus was formed. You were not allowed to interrupt if someone else was speaking. It's a sort of town-hall court. Because of this, Botswana often claims to be one of the world's first democracies.

1920s kgotla, source University of Botswana

Random Kate Thoughts: Democracy is such a buzz word these days. Is Democracy right for Africa? Would benevolent dictatorship be better for countries still struggling to provide order and security for their citizens? People on both sides of the ocean seem to think that democracy was brought to Africa by the Europeans. But nay! Here is an excellent example of the many varied types of governance systems in pre-colonial Africa. Yes, there were empires and kingdoms, but also village conglomerates and little democratic city states too. It's a big continent.