Democratic decisions can be taken by majority vote, which is the Western form. It has the advantage of being transparent, fast and efficient. But the downside is that it ignores minority positions.
The alternative is to take decisions by consensus. This has the advantage of taking all minority positions into account. However, the demerit is that it can take an awfully long time to reach a consensus the larger the number of people involved.
Nevertheless, the Nobel Peace Committee and the World Trade Organization (WTO) all take decisions by consensus. So too do many traditional African societies. Just because a group does not take its decisions by voting does not mean they have no understanding of the essence of democracy.
In the early 1990s, following the collapse of the former Soviet Union, the winds of change swept across Africa, toppling long-standing autocrats. In our haste to democratize — and also as a condition for Western aid — we copied and adopted the Western form of democracy and neglected to build upon our own democratic tradition.
Continue Reading: https://www.africanliberty.org/2019/02/06/does-africa-need-a-unique-democracy-to-flourish/
