| Chapter : | Introduction |
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effort by social actors…not only manifest in conflictive or competitive relations but also in the contexts of cooperation.”21
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What we have attempted to provide is useful insight about the relationship between African countries and the various minorities that exist in them. We sought to explore useful ways to understand state-minority relationships and their broader implications for political, economic, and social stability and by extension the options that exist for the security and the protection of rights of persons, especially minorities of different forms. This book cannot claim to cover the myriad of minority issues that confront Africa today, nor can we claim to cover all the geographical regions of Africa. Although mentioned tangentially, we would have preferred to explore how contemporary migration from Africa offers the opportunity for various facets of society who feel threatened to escape perceived domination and hegemonic control. Of course, this has been an important aspect of the African experience. This is an area that needs significant attention—how do states induce voluntary as well as involuntary migration? The relationship between African states and indigenous peoples in countries such as Morocco, Algeria, Niger, Kenya, Tanzania, Gabon, Cameroon, Burundi, Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa deserves greater attention in the study of minority issues in Africa. The theme of indigenous rights has become even more imperative as human rights and environmental issues become central to the new world order.
The historical experience of many African societies in the past three decades calls for greater attention to governance and the institutionalization of democratic principles in African politics. The experiences of war and genocide and the ongoing crises in places like Darfur, which often emerged in the context of resource control, also call for a systematic effort in restructuring African states, most of which have their origins in the colonial experience. Perhaps it has become imperative for African states to re-examine the cost of maintaining the current political boundaries in Africa or to consider a true federalism in which the rights of