The state of Africa's second liberation

Based on the powerful analytical insights provided by the second liberation school, which is arguably the most original contribution by African scholars to the democratization literature, this paper analyses the antecedents, dynamics and contradictions of the development process in Africa and why democratization, which is generally believed to be a facilitator of development, has so far failed to produce such positive outcome in the continent. It is argued that the failure of both the first liberation, movement which was coterminous with decolonization, and the second movement, which ensued in the post-Cold War period and is hallmarked by political and economic reforms, is largely a function of the unresolved crisis of the ownership of the state, the lack of relative autonomy on the part of local capital and ruling classes, and the disconnection between those who govern and the citizens. Until these fundamental issues, which took root under colonialism, are resolved, that is, until liberation as freedom and ownership of the development process is attained, development will continue to be elusive. This is the overall lesson of the failure of the second liberation process in Africa. The paper is divided into three sections. Section one amplifies the historicity and analytical strengths of the concept of second liberation. Section two examines the successes and failures of the second liberation on the basis of how far popular forces have appropriated the state and development process in the aftermath of the wave(s) of democratization. The third and final section presents the conclusions.