South Africa and the African Renaissance

This article addresses the question of the new South Africa's relationships with other countries in Africa in the context of the idea of an ‘African Renaissance’ which has recently gained currency. The authors identify two opposing conceptions of Africa's development, which they call ‘globalist’ and ‘Africanist’ respectively, and explore the tensions besetting South Africa's participation in an ‘Africanist’ project. They discuss the dilemma of South Africa's role on the continent as both an obvious and an impossible candidate for leadership, and argue for an ‘Africanist’ and post-structuralist approach to the political, economic and cultural development of the African continent.