Tin-pot Despots, Spiteful Insurgent's & Confused Activists' Compulsive Political Agency: Need for Policies for Transforming Activism for Social Good - RL Vol XIII No 508 MMIX

Africa’s Boko Haram, Tuareg, al-Sunna wa’a Jama’a, al-Shabaab

Tin-pot Despots, Spiteful Insurgent’s &

 Confused Activists’ Compulsive Political Agency:

Need for Policies for Transforming Activism for Social Good

Public lecture – Respublica Litereria - RL Vol XIII No 508 MMIX

Costantinos Berhutesfa Costantinos, PhD

Former Chairperson of the African Union Anti-corruption Advisory Board

Professor of Public Policy and Sustainable Institutional Reforms

https://addisababa.academia.edu/CostyCostantinos

Abstract

People who consume more news media have a greater probability of being engaged civically and politically across a variety of measures. Advocacy and activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct, or intervene in social, political, economic, or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society, but it was an unfortunate day for two scholars who went to their hometown to conduct a medical research. However, their humanitarian mission, effort and aspiration was cut short with a tragedy that claimed their lives. They were beaten to death by an angry mob and it is all because of fake news in the virtual world. The research enquiry augurs on, if the views and perspectives of activists have a legitimate place in igniting democratic processes. Is good faith criticism of a particular activist strategy construed as negation of freedom of speech as such?

 African insurgencies include Boko Haram, Cameroon’s Anglophone Crisis, Mali Tuareg, the stagnating 2015 Algiers Peace Accord, ‘al-Sunna wa’a Jama’a viciousness in Mozambique, and al-Shabaab in Somalia. African activists have advocated the West to parachute democratic institutions, human rights and good governance in Africa, denying aid to poor Africans that were marginalised by despotic states. Activists refrain the spirit of tolerance when, in realty, political and policy differences are resolved in a courage to respect the views of others, more specifically, citizens. African activists in general take their task as a lifetime work even when the issue that elevated it, has vanished - a compulsive behaviour that a person feels “compelled” or driven to do over and over again. While these compulsive actions may appear to be irrational, and may even result in negative consequences, such activists feel unable to stop themselves – ‘obsessive-compulsive disorder’

Source SM Madrid

When it comes to Ethiopia, activism kicked off on issues such as ‘land to the tiller’ and the issue of ‘nations and nationalities’. As the Dergue started to kill tens of thousands of citizens, diasporisation started in earnest and activism took organised mould. Much of the recent activism and militancy was against the human right abuses, one party rule and corruption under the Wéyanné. The ethics of activism is based on the answer to how should and how do democratic citizens behave when governments act unjustly? Do they respond aggressively, armed with universal concern for the rights of all citizens or are they acting from narrow concerns based on special interests and sectarian loyalties? The answer challenges the strong moral role attributed to responsible citizens and emphasises the competitive and parochial nature of morally inspired activism.

Keywords: activism, advocacy, militancy, Africa, Ethiopia, human rights, despotism, peace, popular participation, alternative conflict management, inclusive development