The issue of Regionalism considering governance
The Dahomean society, strongly attached to its traditional norms faced a severe, yet accepted change through the implementation of Western political and economic institutions. The imperialist government brought in many changes which affected the individuals on a societal level. Contrary to custom of succession in Dahomey, the French nominated a new King while under indirect rule while King Benhazin was still alive. This infuriated the citizens and he was peacefully deposed in 1899 to appeal to the society. It is even noted by one of the French actors that “The idea of discipline which is deeply rooted in the Dahomean race [renders them] sympathetic as well as disposed towards us.” In other words, the French assumed control over Dahomeans in an unethical manner, using their beliefs to their advantage. Once they were under French submission, the imperialist continued with a policy of assimilation, quickly shifting away from indirect rule to a direct rule. The political organization was not affecting every individual personally, as they worked as a community and all held the same ground. Once measures other than administrative were implemented, such as an annual head tax and forced labour, a source of conflict started originating and officials declared “it is not the political organization that has to concern us, but the economic organization of our colonies [Journal Officiel du Dahomey, 1898]. The traditional use of cowrie and livestock as a form of currency was replaced by a french monetary device, forcing the Dahomeans to adapt to this economic institution, breaking away from their traditional form.
The administration changes brought the issue of regionalism into light. French political aim was unclear once in Benin as they had no real resources to exploit, so they did not interfere with traditional societal structures. However, very quickly this idea was crossed off and the country was divided into three different rules, influenced by the traditional methods already in play. The annexed territory had french rule, such as in Cotonou as there were no traditional chiefs. The protectorates had indirect rule, since the King of Porto Novo was in contact with Europeans for more than a decade, and this interference brought hostile reaction in the Dahomean society. The unoccupied northern areas had future military action drafted, it was the part of Benin which was not in contact. There were the Fon in the southwest led by Ahomadegbe, the Yoruba led by Apithy and the Bariba, led by Maga. The political scene was a “complex dance of changing political parties … and coalitions of two regional groups against the third.” [Seely, 2009] There was a clear upheaval of regional division above ethnic classification.
After World War 2, there was a governmental tripartite based on region, which impacted the implementation of political institutions, and the issue of regionalism became political. There were internal ethnic divisions, but this ethnic pluralism was frequent in African nations and cannot be used to comprehend the political instability. People of North Dahomey reproached representatives for neglecting their interests in favor of the people of the South. This was the case as the South had majority representation and ⅔ of the population. It was a divided country, and the arrival of the French brought a political framework between people who were never together before. The political parties were a regional/ethnic association of sorts. Candidates for representative roles were seen as elected for life which was not the case. appeal for ethnic loyalty was employed to gain votes, however the French had studied the political system using an ethnocentric perspective, comparing their political system to the functioning of a Western one. Clearly it was unable to work as was previously stated, traditional institutions functioned on a ancestor basis, instead of a political one. Thus with independence they went back to their traditional system; the more people ran for office the more people voted for those from their region, until it got to the point where each household would vote for its head. [Decalo, 1987]
Democratization and its modification of regional division.
Social change was a slow process influenced by the political system put into place. As stated earlier, the National Conference of 1990 was the turning point of democratization. It was the first conference in francophone Africa and inspired all the succeeding once. The democratization increased economic output, solidified human rights and made Benin become an actor on a global scale. The country was finally able to converge under one respected and inspired leader. In terms of human rights, under the Marxist Regime, student movements were met with violence and refusal. There was no freedom of speech, which nowadays is an erroneous statement to make. Benin has one of the most open media in Africa. A local writer explained that, “When I listen to other Africans who have found refuge with us, people from Rwanda, Burundi, Togo, Cote d’Ivoire… I end up convinced that we Beninese are a wonderful lot, because they think we’re a wonderful lot! They say, “You dare to say all that on the radio and on TV. “IF we were even to think those things in our country, “we’d end up in prison and maybe never get out.” The Beninese have always been this way, but haven’t realised it. Maybe they shouldn’t realise it, so as not to show off.” [Gbegnonvi, 2010]
However, it should not be omitted that the human rights problem is still ongoing nowadays, and has some sparks of regional division due to past history during the colonial times. The situation is presented differently whether we find ourselves in a rural or urban sector, clearly more arbitrary and further abused in the rural world. There seems to be a trend in rural communities and child exploitation and is regarded as a notorious exception in the respects of human rights in Benin . Other problems that need to be exploited in the country include excessive use of force by the police, violence and discrimination upon women and extremely tough prison conditions [Amnesty International, 2018]. However, there are issues in every country and it should still be noted that Benin is considered a model country, an inspiration and influence in the shift away from dictatorial regime and towards a pluralistic political system [FED, 2009] creating inclusive institutions that can only further economic development, one step at a time.
Concluding Statements
The one thing the West clearly did better than Africa was technology and technological progress should be imposed as a form of aid in economic development. However societies should not be required to have this imposition of western political and economic institutions as it clashes with the traditional forms, leading to political instability. The individuals in Dahomey used Western institutions not how they were meant to be, but applied them to their traditional methods of politics, which in turn clashed with their actual purpose. Education through Western institutions in the Dahomean elite is supposed to help the individuals fulfill their role requirements, but there was such a long period of political instability after independence because these individuals had no idea as to how they should be applied. Kekerou, under his Marxist regime started getting backlash by the masses, and noticed that the step to take in achieving popular success would be reformatting the educational system. This worked as Benin was one of the first African countries to democratize and has seen political stability since the creation of the Republic of Benin. The democratization process has made a significant impact on the day to day of the Beninese, from media to human liberties, however their economic picture has not been resolved and is still profoundly stuck in the spiral of poverty and underdevelopment. Benin is a country in which military intervention and Marxist political system did not function. Education levels only increased with time and made society more aware and adaptable to the norms of western politics, keeping a traditional sector deeply ingrained in each individual, and in the community as a whole.