There is nothing wrong with the African. Africans are indeed the best cultured and civilised people. They are a people with a great heritage and every child has strong family roots, which continue to define their personality and worldview. Africans are known for their moral reservations and boundaries. Even in the contemporary times of postmodernism, Africans are still conservative about what they do and how they are perceived, which serve as caution for their thoughts and acts.
But everything seems wrong with the African politician. He is a professional trickster. His personal interest is his god. The politician believes political power is everything and, therefore, can do anything to get it. He can go violent, diabolic, dirty or unhinged, just to grab power. This is why in Africa, politics and elections are do-or-die affair. The vain quest for transient political power or value goes with a lot of sacrifices, including blood sacrifices. Before elections, there are either mysterious disappearances of innocent persons from communities or political murders involving opponents or main contenders in the opposition parties.
African politicians can be petty; and they spew lies and all sorts of nonsense to get at their opponents. African politicians, once elected, could squeeze the life out of opposition, silence opponents, send their rivals to jail or eliminate them outright. The media do not enjoy freedom in most African countries. Press freedom is far-fetched because it becomes the voice of the majority. Where press freedom cannot be compromised, the media are infiltrated: politicians buy some part over to fly their own kites, building bigger media empire to dilute the power or efficacy of mainstream objective media.
Another way one could mistake Mr. Trump for an African politician is his tendency for imperial presidency. He enjoys working or acting alone. He appears like someone who barely takes advice or seeks proper counsel before acting. He comes across as a tyrant with scary statements and demands
The African politician is a showman. He likes attention and brags a lot. He catches attention by being either grandiose in speeches, sounding like a messiah through an air of false populism, and driving the biggest cars or living in sprawling quarters. The politician in Africa is all show but little action. Wealthy African politicians proudly flaunt their harem of wives and soccer-team children.
Does the US President Donald Trump look like all of these things described here about African politicians? First, let us examine the good sides of Mr. Trump. He sounds tough, but most times, he is actually soft and well-meaning. After all of the racial bile displayed in the ‘birther’ controversy about former President Barrack Obama, he spoke highly of the man, after all. Some of his ministerial picks are not bad- he reached out to some of his ardent critics and the opposition party. Initially, Trump did not think repealing of all of Obamacare is the best option after the discoveries about the healthcare policy. He also did not want to pursue the “lock her up” pre-election promise on his opponent, Hillary Clinton. He feels even mentioning it after elections is hurtful. This says something about Mr. Trump- he may have a conscience and he is a reasonable man, after all.
Donald Trump disclosed after inauguration that he had to consult Obama on some of his picks for federal departments. He rewards loyalty and disavows racially motivated post-election campaigns or support. He has embarked on tours to “thank” all those that voted for him.
Now, there is something to cheer about for Americans not sure of Mr. Trump if he could exhibit these good tendencies. However, does he exhibit some other traits that are scary and which portray him as an African politician? Throughout his campaign, Trump had more of character assassination to do than real issues to give hope to all Americans. Like what our politicians in Africa do, Trump enjoyed a jamboree-like campaign rally where he dissed at his opponents and revved up his cheer-leaders by calling Clinton and any critic all sorts of dirty names. He went after their person and told all sorts of lies to defame their character. Did that look like all of the dirty things that went on in Ghana between the politicians just before their last presidential elections?
Again, Mr. Trump likes to threaten to deal with opponents. He vowed to send Hillary Clinton to jail if he wins. All across Africa (Burundi, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Sudan, Central African Republic, Rwanda, Uganda, The Gambia and Nigeria), political opponents end up in jail when their adversaries win the elections.
Mr. Trump alleged election-rigging two months before the elections. He was so scared the elections would be rigged, even when the sanctity of American elections had never before been in question or doubted. At the end, he vowed not to accept the election verdict if he did not win. This is a common practice in African countries. No politician (until Nigeria charted a new course for democratic concessions in 2015) ever accepts election verdict. There are contentions about sanctity of elections that often end up perpetually in the courts at all levels. Even when clear and fair victory is attained, politicians do not always accept the results. The trend is common on the continent because most elections are subjected to manipulations or rigging.
What of the many wives and children from several women? Like the wealthy African politician, Trump has many children from three wives. He parades them like his soccer team. The children from different mothers have to cope with their half-blood and Trump. Like an African chief, he is the unifier-in-chief of these half-brothers and sisters.
The media in Africa are often targets of political stifling. Politicians do not trust or want media scrutiny. Clampdown on them follows, which could manifest in closures, blackmail, arbitrary arrests or elimination of critical journalists. Trump does not like the critical American media. He openly condemns them and denies them access. He prefers to use his twitter than pass information across through the press. He even suggested hard times for them after January 20, 2017. And he has tagged the ‘Fake News’ to turn the backs of Americans against the press.
Donald Trump speaks out loudly and clearly without boundaries or pre-speaking checks. He does not enjoy following teleprompter or use guided speech. This is African. Most African politicians do not prepare before they speak when occasion demands, and when they prepare to, they over-do it, reading word-for-word and line-by-line what is contained in their documented speeches.
Another way one could mistake Mr. Trump for an African politician is his tendency for imperial presidency. He enjoys working or acting alone. He appears like someone who barely takes advice or seeks proper counsel before acting. He comes across as a tyrant with scary statements and demands. For instance, just after few days of demonstration against his election, he tweeted an insult on the discontented groups which he described as “professional protesters”. Also, just after a Hamilton cast demand for an inclusive government under Trump during a show in which then Vice President-elect, Mike Pence, attended, Trump tweeted, describing the Hamilton demand an insult on Pence and instructing the group to apologise. That looked like Idi Amin.
Well, Trump might have behaved in funny, unreasonable ways. But he is only human. All the traits described above are not peculiar to Africa. They are human. Humans universally act in similar ways. The only thing is that the traits are more commonplace among the continent’s politicians so much that they have formed an ‘identity’ for the ruling or political class.
*Folarin, an Associate Professor, is of the Political Science Department, Covenant University, Otta, Ogun State.
