By Jimmy Henry Nzally
As a result of nationalism and independence movements, a new political reality known as postcolonialism was established, which gave birth to leadership and governance by Africans. This shift led to instability and bred mixed regimes
including autocratic, democratic and hybrid forms. African politics was now to be shaped by Africans themselves, with citizens to become active subjects and participants in the political life of their countries as opposed to being parochial. Therefore, postcolonialism was meant to put Africans at the forefront of governance, but it rather brought about one-party states and coups, among other things, and thus a completely different political culture surged after independence.
In the contemporary context, political culture is taking a better shape. With the exception of recent coups, instead of the usual barrel-of-a-gun approach to ending dictatorship, the people are more organised and informed and are making their voices heard. This involves active political participation through democratic processes such as voting. The case of The Gambia and the election defeat of former president Yahya Jammeh has been cited as a good example. However, one could argue that the Gambian case is a rare one in the context of democratic transition. In conclusion, the legacy of colonialism is still visible in African politics, most concretely in the form of one-party rule and the use of the military to change governments. However, there is a noticeable movement towards democracy. People are actively taking part in the politics of their countries. Instead of being mere subjects or parochial, people are becoming active as participants. This is promising: this success gives hope to other African countries undergoing autocratic rule to believe that regime change and democratic transition are possible through elections. Therefore, the work of Almond and Verba (1963) has served as a strong bedrock for understanding the indispensable role of civic culture in a democratic state. This entails the fact that the people are at the heart of political culture. It is up to them to develop from being parochial or subjects into active participants.
