THE DEMOCRATIZATION PROCESS AND POPULAR PARTICIPATION IN AFRICA - EMERGING REALITIES AND THE CHALLENGES AHEAD

Many observers have judged the recent wave of democratization in Afric a as an unstoppable process and have overemphasized the role of extern al factors in inducing this change. This article argues that the quali ty of change has been fragile and defective in many respects, and draw s attention to the susceptibility of the process of democratic transit ion to reversals. It goes on to underscore the importance of internal forces in bringing about change and in ensuring the sustainability of democracy in Africa. The tasks that lie ahead for civil society in Afr ica and the role of the international community and political conditio nality of aid in this context are then debated.