What is the definition of ethnicity and tribalism? Does they play any role in your society?
Ethnic group is a group of people whose members are identified through several common traits. These include an idea of common heritage, common culture, a shared language, or dialect and most importantly, common ancestry and religion. An Ethnic group is quite big and comprises of several tribal groups. Here is an example. The Agikuyu, the Akamba, the Ameru , Maasai, Borana, Abaluhya, Kalenjins etc. are all different tribal groups in Kenya yet they are all Bantus. Ethnicity is an ethnic quality or affiliation resulting from the above characteristics.
Tribalism refers to a strong loyalty to one’s tribe, party, or group for instance the Luo in Kenya or the Agikuyu in Kenya. It also includes religious groups, political groups and social groups among others.
In Africa, tribalism and ethnicity has been revolutionized and considered as ethnocentrism. This is a situation whereby one considers his or her own ethnic group the best and all others inferior, to the point where they have rivalry which normally escalates to conflict.
How did ethnocentrism develop? Some people say it was caused by the Berlin Conference of 1684. Nationalism, which is the sense of belonging to a nation or country was introduced into Africa by the coming of the Europeans and their further partitioning of Africa. As much as their interest was national interest but their “said” purpose was to weaken this tribal loyalty and to instill in people a sense of oneness despite ethnic and tribal differences.
Nationalism is a good idea. However, nationalism has failed miserably in several parts of Africa in its attempt to mesh together these several different ethnic groups without taking into account the loyalty the people have for their various tribes and ethnic groups. The tribal tensions and tribal conflicts we witness today in Africa are some of the outcomes of the failures of nationalism. It is true there were tribal tensions and tribal conflicts in those days before the arrival of nationalism. However, it was not that bad compared to what we are witnessing today in Africa. For instance what we are currently witnessing in Ethiopia, South Sudan between the Dinka and the Nuer, and not to forget the ethnic conflict that killed millions of people in Rwanda between the Hutu and the Tutsi. This are just a few examples to mention of!!
How did terrorism develop? This was due extremism among some Muslim. They practice atrocities with the belief that they are praising Allah and his holy prophet. Do not get me wrong! Loyalty to one’s group is not an offense however don’t forget too much of something is dangerous and we should not blindly follow what our leaders tell us without evaluating their messages…!!
NOTE that here is positive and negative ethnicity. Positive ethnicity is restricted to the practice and defense of an ethnic group’s traditional integrity, traditional beliefs, and traditional customs. It involves emphasizing one’s own roots in a community or cultural group without necessarily disparaging other groups. For instance how we conduct wedding ceremonies based on our ethnic culture…
Negative ethnicity can also be referred as ethnocentrism emerges when ethnicity becomes the major determinant of one’s behavior. For example in allocating resources, opportunities for instance job opportunity, academic opportunities.
Negative Ethnicity
Politicized ethicized politics have had devastating political consequences for Africa, as evidenced in the many civil wars and recurrent political instability. The nearest case to relate to in my community is the Kenyan post-election violence that took place in 2007-2008. This was due to rivalry that were “coated” under the umbrella of ‘cuckold election results’. The politicization of ethnicity all over the African continent has generated deep-rooted suspicions, mistrust and at times resulted into widespread violence, insecurity and even caused genocide.
Politicization of Ethnicity politics means that ethnicity acts as a pole around which group members are mobilized and compete effectively for state-controlled power and economic resources. Under the leadership of greedy elite, members of the ethnic group are urged to form an organized political action-group in order to maximize their political, economic, and social interests. Thus, many aspects of competitive politics in Africa are founded on ethnic politics based on who gets what, when, and how. Those are the roots of what has emerged as ethnic tensions and tribalism in Africa.
While the struggles for national independence helped to bring a sense of nationhood in some countries, this diminished due to ethnically driven political opportunism of African elites who took over from the colonialists, who took power after liberation struggles resorted to fueling ethnic hatred and manipulation to divide communities; not for the benefit of those communities, but for the elites themselves to grab wealth and hang on to power by all means.
While the leaders get wealthy by grabbing land, houses and minerals for example the case of Mobutu, most members of their ethnic groups have nothing to show but somehow believe that somewhere down the line the wealth will trickle down to them.
In reality, only the elites are benefiting and the people they are setting in conflict against each face the same adversities of poverty and marginalization. Examples of the countries that have been embroiled in the politics of ethnicity since independence is Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia, Somalia, DRC among others.
For this reason, a lot of scholars have tended to define the concept of ethnicity simply in terms of its negative dimension
Indeed ethnic identity has a symbolic dimension, which makes conflict arising from it more intense than otherwise. Here, individuals are very sensitive to matters of ethnic symbolism. Any action or thought that is perceived to undermine the ethnic group evokes very hostile and sometimes violent responses.
This is what explains the tendency of members of a group to identify with the fortunes of their co-ethnics e.g a poor villager who believes that a co-ethnic cabinet minister represents his share of the national portion/cake even though the said villager may never receive any personal material gain as a result of appointment.
It is against this background that ethnicity has remained a key political force in contemporary Africa!
Positive ethnicity
Ethnicity also has traces of positive impact in African political and social setting!
Ethnicity and colonial resistance: Ethnicity played a key role in the basis for the organization of resistance against colonial domination especially at the cultural level. Example is the Maji Maji rebellion/resistance in Tanzania where they used their culture to fight the colonialist in their country. They had a weapon refered as ‘Maji ya mawe’ which was a “war medicine”. It was water mixed with castor oil and millet seeds that they believed will make the colonialist blind if poured on their eyes. Another example is the Mau Mau war in Kenya where the Agikuyu community fought against the Kenyan colonialist, the British. With a Swahili notion dubbed “Muzungu aende Ulaya Mwafrika apate Uhuru” This unity that was due to their cultural beliefs led to African gaining their independence.
Ethnicity and individual belonging in modern state: Ethnicity provides a sense of belonging especially in social relations between the individual and the state which cushions the individual against negative effects of alienation inherent or inborn in a complex modern mass society. Thus, ethnicity facilitates appreciation of one’s social roots in a community and cultural group, which is essential for stability of the individual, communal group and the country at large
Ethnicity and Justice: Most ethnic movements demand justice and liberty, equity, express fears about oppression and nepotism; thereby contributing to democratic practice. Therefore, by encompassing legitimate concerns and fears of people, ethnic nationalism serves as a weapon of the wronged groups
Ethnicity and community development: Ethnic solidarity of various communities have played a role in the promotion of community development in Africa that is communal welfare especially where African governments have been unable or deliberately failed to provided economic services to the citizens. The ethnic welfare unions arose in this setting, as parallel structure to provide public goods. They awarded scholarship and even fundraising for education, built schools and churches, town halls and hospitals and provided, within their limits, loans to small-scale traders and artisans and engaged in other self-help projects, serve social function of providing their members with proper burial and taking care of families after member’s death.
Ethnicity and Democracy: Ethnic associations can form pressure groups in a democratic framework. Ethnic mobilizations and identities have contributed to decentralization of power which useful for institutionalization of democratic practices and addressing structural ethnic conflicts. Economic centralization and winner-takes-all tendency result in neglect or marginalization of excluded ethnic groups. It is argued that this leads to demands for autonomy and secession emanating from ethnicity. For instance, a demand for autonomy or secession by ethnic group often indicates the lack of economic and social justice.
Conclusion
Extreme tribalism and ethnocentrism are what breed war, and tribal conflicts and these are what we should fight against and not tribalism and ethnicity in Africa. Fighting against tribalism and ethnicity in Africa is just like fighting against indigenous cultures, traditions, languages; which is not the best way to go. Remember, what makes Africa is our culture and traditions and we cannot throw these away all in the name of nationalism. We should however, learn to live peacefully with others especially our own brothers and sisters in Africa. After all, we are all one people despite our differences. Take Ghana for example. There are several ethnic and tribal groups in Ghana today yet Ghana remains one of the most peaceful countries in all of Africa. Ghana has perhaps the best democratic system of government in Africa today. Although Akan is the most dominant ethnic group in Ghana today, leaders are chosen not just from the Akan ethnic group but from the entire country. Infact, the current president of Ghana John Dramani Mahama, is not an Ashanti and he is not even an Akan yet he is the president of Ghana democratically elected by the entire country (he belongs to the Gonja ethnic group). Ghanaians remain one of the most culturally blessed people in all of Africa and all thanks to their tribal and ethnic pride. Ghanaians have their tribal pride, their ethnic pride and their national pride yet Ghana remains one of the most peaceful countries in Africa today.
We don’t have to kill our tribal and ethnic pride all in an attempt to embrace our national pride. We can combine all three and still live in peace. If Ghanaians can do it, there are no doubt other African countries can do it!!
belinenyangi'sdiscussion#oursociety# 