African Anarchism covers a wide range of topics, including anarchistic elements in traditional African socieites, African communalism, Africa's economic and political development, the lintering social, political, and economic effects of colonialism, the development of "African socialism, the failure of "African socialism, and a possible means of resolving Africa's ongoing crises. "[ African Anarchism ] is particularly illuminating in detailing anarchist precedents in African communalism." — Black Flag #214 Sam Mbah and I.E. Igariwey are members of The Awareness League, Nigeria's anarcho-syndicalist organization, and militants in Nigeria's labor struggles. African Anarchism The History of a Movement By Sam Mbah, I.E. Igariwey See Sharp Press Copyright © 1997 Sam Mbah and I.E. Igariwey All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-884365-05-8 Contents Foreword, Preface, 1. What Is Anarchism?, 2. Anarchism in History, 3. Anarchistic Precedents in Africa, 4. The Development of Socialism in Africa, 5. The Failure of Socialism in Africa, 6. Obstacles to the Development of Anarchism in Africa, 7. Anarchism's Future in Africa, Bibliography, Index, CHAPTER 1 What Is Anarchism? Anarchism as a social philosophy, theory of social organization, and social movement is remote to Africa — indeed, almost unknown. It is underdeveloped in Africa as a systematic body of thought, and largely unknown as a revolutionary movement. Be that as it may, anarchism as a way of life is not at all new to Africa, as we shall see. The continent's earliest contact with European anarchist thought probably did not take place before the second half of the 20th century, with the single exception of South Africa. It is, therefore, to Western thinkers that we must turn for an elucidation of anarchism. Anarchism derives not so much from abstract reflections of intellectuals or philosophers as from the objective conditions in which workers and producers find themselves. Though one can find traces of it earlier, anarchism as a revolutionary philosophy arose as part of the worldwide socialist movement in the 19th century. The dehumanizing nature of capitalism and the state system stimulated the desire to build a better world — a world rooted in true equality, liberty, freedom and solidarity. The tyrannical propensities of the state — any state — underpinned by private capital, have propelled anarchists to insist on the complete abolition of the state system. The New Encyclopaedia Britannica1 (15th Edition) characterizes anarchism as a social philosophy "whose central tenet is that human beings can live justly and harmoniously without government and that the imposition of government upon human beings is in fact harmful and evil." Similarly, The Encyclopedia Americana2 (International Edition) describes anarchism as a theory of social organization "that looks upon all law and government as invasive, the twin sources of nearly all social evils. It therefore advocates the abolition of all government as the term is understood today, except that originating in voluntary cooperation." Anarchists, it goes on to say, do not conceive of a society without order, "but the order they visualize arises out of voluntary association, preferably through self-governing groups." For its part Collier's Encyclopedic3 conceives anarchism as a 19th-century movement "holding the belief that society should be controlled entirely by voluntarily organized groups and not by the political state." Coercion, according to this line of reasoning, is to be dispensed with in order that "each individual may attain his most complete development." As far as definitions go, these lend some useful, if superficial, insights into anarchist doctrine. But their usefulness in the elucidation of the rich and expansive body of thought known as anarchism is patently limited. The wide gamut of anarchist theory is revealed only in the writings of anarchists themselves, as well as in the writings of a few nonanarchists. According to Bertrand Russell, anarchism "is the theory which is opposed to every kind of forcible government. It is opposed to the state as the embodiment of the force employed in the government of the community. Such government as anarchism can tolerate must be free government, not merely in the sense that it is that of a majority, but in the sense that it is assented to by all. Anarchists object to such institutions as the police and the criminal law, by means of which the will of one part of the community is forced upon another part. ... Liberty is the supreme good in the anarchist creed, and liberty is sought by the direct road of abolishing all forcible control over the individual by the community." Russell justifies the anarchist demand for the abolition of government, including government by majority rule, writing, "it is undeniable, that the rule of a majority may be almost as hostile to freedom as the rule of a minority: the divine right