Globalisation as a tool of democracy

The Department of International Studies, Political Science hosted a webinar on the topic of Globalization as a tool of democracy in Africa. The welcoming speech was given by Lakshmi Karlekar and Aneetta Thomas in which they introduced the six speakers for the webinar. This webinar started with the first speaker Mr Mujuru, who spoke on how the democratization process was felt and perceived very differently in different parts of Africa and that a part of that perception is that globalization is the evil that is the root cause of all their problems. The reality of the situation, however, Mr Mujuru believes that the negligence of the leaders is the root of this problem, which has made Africa and its people helpless in a certain way. Africa has a choice to get democratized and it can do so by not being too reliant on foreign aid and embrace mechanisation and invest in themselves. Dr Webster Zambara followed as the second speaker and he based his talk on the historical consequences of colonization and how its after-effects disable the democratization of Southern African countries. He also talked about the historical legacies of the unholy trinity of colonization, slave trade and apartheid and how this disadvantaged history creates barriers for a democratization of the region. He then emphasized the importance of being less dependent on the global North and creating a push for a south-south cooporation. The third session started with Mr Muzamwese giving a brief understanding of the importance of Africa’s natural resources and its reliance on those resources. The key sustainability challenges were accentuated along with the fact that Green Economy Development is inevitable. Particular significance was given to the need for government reforms towards the emergent trends in Green Economy and Sustainability in Africa. In the fourth segment, Dr Nivedita Ray, Director (Research) ICWA, made principal observations on the fact that elections in Africa have been a torchbearer of the African Democratization process. Accordingly, the reckoning force behind this being the conditionality programs of the lending agencies in Africa, the prospects of trade with the neighbours and the Asian engagement which has been of pivotal importance. The session ends with drawn criticisms and the changing role of India-Africa trade relations. The fifth Session was put in motion by Dr N. Koiremba Singh, who analysed the democratization of African nations through the postcolonial writings of Chinua Achebe. The talk put in focus the Eurocentric views that African population have and the mess that has led in the form of partial democracy and conflicts; thus, the need for African lenses for the development of Africa is emphasised upon. Democracy and globalization were criticised as it might further jeopardise the interest of Africa. Dr Manoharan N. gave the concluding remarks on the session and put forward the silver lining of each speaker regarding their approaches and views. Globalization through a double-edged sword can be the answer for good governance in the African continent. Report compiled by P Aneetta Thomas MA (International Studies)