The African Tradition of Liberty
By: Tam Alex
Tags: Manden Charter, Liberty, Indigenous People, Things Fall Apart, Africa

By Adedamola Ogunbewon

I recently completed a free Udemy course by Chale institute titled “African Ideas of Liberty”, this course is laced with important lessons about indigenous Africa; how they thought about liberty, short stories, proverbs, poems etc. that represent their intent to develop peaceful societies with liberty as its core.

Firstly, it should be noted that ideas of liberty and Africa may seem like an oxymoron, considering that most countries in modern Africa are governed by ideas that are closer to authoritarian, command and control system than they are to liberty.

According to the 2019 Human Freedom Index report by the Cato Institute — which uses indicators of personal and economic freedom like: Size of Government, Rule of Law, Legal System, Security and Safety, Expression and Information and a few others — of the 10 regions considered, the Middle East, North Africa, Sub Saharan Africa and South asia had the lowest levels of freedom.. With countries like Egypt, Libya, Algeria ranking as low as 157, 156 and 155 in a 162 countries report.

However, judging by this and concluding that Africa is ignorant of the ideas of liberty is ‘recency’ and ultimately false. Historically indigenous African societies were constructed on the basis that liberty is chief.

Liberty in indigenous Africa

Indigenous Africans conceive liberty as the freedom to choose an experience or a line of action (as long as we are not harming other people and not hindering their own freedom of choice) and to experience it`s natural consequences. This freedom of choice comes with the attendant responsibility to bear the consequences of your action yourself whatever it maybe. This liberty is explicated with two examples: Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart” and the Manden Charter of Liberty

Things Fall Apart

As a fan of Chinua Achebe and his works, I had always noticed his creative ability to illustrate ancient Igbo societies and “Things fall apart” is the cream of the crop in that regard. In this literary work he tells the story of a young man (Okonkwo) who strives from poverty to greatness. Different scenes and events in this story portray what we have already described as liberty. Ancient Igbo societies were governed by individualism and freedom. Individualism is seen in Okonkwo’s ability to take charge of his own life and drive himself to greatness. We also see the tenet of liberty that deals with harming other people when Okonkwo was exiled because he took another man’s life. There are other parts of this book that deal with liberty, as a whole Chinua Achebe’s work in painting this ancient Igbo setting helps us see liberty in an indigenous African society.

Manden Charter

In the early thirteenth century, following a major military victory, the founder of the Mandingo Empire and the assembly of his wise men proclaimed in Kurukan Fuga the new Manden Charter, named after the territory, situated above the upper Niger River basin, between present-day Guinea and Mali. The Charter, one of the oldest constitutions in the world albeit mainly in oral form, contains a preamble of seven chapters advocating social peace in diversity, the inviolability of the human being, education, the integrity of the motherland, food security, the abolition of slavery by razzia (or raid), and freedom of expression and trade. This ancient charter was drawn up in 1222 and it is said to have been drawn up before the “Bill of Rights” (1689), the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen” (1789), even prior to the “Magna Carta” (1215–1297) all of which are important documents in the western tradition of liberty and human rights. This document from an African society in its cradle pre-dates all the important western documents on liberty.

Although, the empire responsible for this charter has met its ruins and its now long gone, the words that this oral proclamation left behind is important for modern Africa. The first two verses is addressed to oppressors, most countries in Africa today are governed by oppressors or in the words of the great Ghanaian economist and social theorist, George Ayittey “Africa has more dictators per capita than any other continent”

The first two verses:

“The hunters declare: Every human life is a life. It is true that a life comes into existence before another life But no life is more ‘ancient’, more respectable than any other In the same way no one life is superior to any other The hunters declare: As each life is a life, Any wrong done unto a life requires reparation. Consequently, No one should gratuitously attack his neighbour No one should wrong his neighbour No one should torment his fellow man”

“No one should torment his fellow man” doesn’t matter his status president, governor, policeman, soldier or just a civilian “No one should torment his fellow man”. Africa today will be more peaceful if countries could imprint this in their core and live by it!

The last verse and the most important one says:

“People from the old days tell us: ‘Man is an individual Made of flesh and bone Of marrow and nerves Of skin covered in hair Eats food and drink But his ‘soul’, his spirit lives on three things: He must see what he wishes to see He must say what he wishes to say And do what he wishes to do”

In its own unique poetic fashion, the charter espouses what might be considered the backbone of liberty, that man must do what he wishes to do as long as he doesn’t torment another man. This is liberty!

Conclusion

If Africans seek to be free from poverty, hunger and war, then we need to back to our roots and build upon its own indigenous institutions.

As Ayittey puts it in the case of Botswana:

“The reason why Botswana has done very well is because it’s the only black African country which went back to its roots and built upon its own indigenous institutions.”

In essence, Africa is poor because she is not free.

The freedom to do what you want, the freedom to say what you wish, and face the natural consequences of our choice, without tormenting others, is the grand idea of liberty and it is a big deal because it ultimately determines if we will have prosperity or poverty in our society.