* . *
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Sunday, August 24, 2025
Earth-News
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Drake Appears in Teaser for Bobbi Althoff’s New Podcast ‘Not This Again’ – yahoo.com

    Drake Drops a Surprise Cameo in Bobbi Althoff’s Thrilling New Podcast Teaser ‘Not This Again

    From polka to Poison, Corn Palace adjusts entertainment offerings with the times – Mitchell Republic

    From polka to Poison, Corn Palace adjusts entertainment offerings with the times – Mitchell Republic

    How to watch ‘F1: The Movie’ on Prime Video – About Amazon

    Experience the Thrill: How to Stream ‘F1: The Movie’ on Prime Video

    FOX One is now available on Prime Video: Here’s everything to know – About Amazon

    FOX One is now available on Prime Video: Here’s everything to know – About Amazon

    What Are Our Predictions for Taylor Swift’s ‘Life of a Showgirl’ Based on What She’s Told Us So Far? – yahoo.com

    Uncover the Hidden Surprises in Taylor Swift’s ‘Life of a Showgirl’ – Can You Decode Her Clues?

    Bama Dining Serving Up New Food, Entertainment – UA News Center

    Bama Dining Launches Thrilling New Food and Entertainment Experiences

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    UNLV Responds to Workforce Need with Microcredential in Nuclear Technology – University of Nevada, Las Vegas | UNLV

    UNLV Unveils Cutting-Edge Microcredential Program to Fuel Growth in Nuclear Technology

    Why Technology Will Never Take Over Completely – Patheos

    Why Technology Will Never Completely Control Our Lives

    Alcorn State awarded grant to boost STEM with VR technology – WJTV

    Alcorn State Secures Grant to Transform STEM Education Through Cutting-Edge VR Technology

    Hyundai: The Only Way To Beat China Is To Embrace Technology – InsideEVs

    Hyundai’s Bold Strategy to Outpace China with Cutting-Edge Technology

    Teaching older adults how to use technology – WWNY

    Empowering Older Adults to Master Technology with Confidence

    Denver man receives pacemaker using new technology – CBS News

    Denver Man’s Life Transformed by Revolutionary Pacemaker Technology

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Drake Appears in Teaser for Bobbi Althoff’s New Podcast ‘Not This Again’ – yahoo.com

    Drake Drops a Surprise Cameo in Bobbi Althoff’s Thrilling New Podcast Teaser ‘Not This Again

    From polka to Poison, Corn Palace adjusts entertainment offerings with the times – Mitchell Republic

    From polka to Poison, Corn Palace adjusts entertainment offerings with the times – Mitchell Republic

    How to watch ‘F1: The Movie’ on Prime Video – About Amazon

    Experience the Thrill: How to Stream ‘F1: The Movie’ on Prime Video

    FOX One is now available on Prime Video: Here’s everything to know – About Amazon

    FOX One is now available on Prime Video: Here’s everything to know – About Amazon

    What Are Our Predictions for Taylor Swift’s ‘Life of a Showgirl’ Based on What She’s Told Us So Far? – yahoo.com

    Uncover the Hidden Surprises in Taylor Swift’s ‘Life of a Showgirl’ – Can You Decode Her Clues?

    Bama Dining Serving Up New Food, Entertainment – UA News Center

    Bama Dining Launches Thrilling New Food and Entertainment Experiences

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    UNLV Responds to Workforce Need with Microcredential in Nuclear Technology – University of Nevada, Las Vegas | UNLV

    UNLV Unveils Cutting-Edge Microcredential Program to Fuel Growth in Nuclear Technology

    Why Technology Will Never Take Over Completely – Patheos

    Why Technology Will Never Completely Control Our Lives

    Alcorn State awarded grant to boost STEM with VR technology – WJTV

    Alcorn State Secures Grant to Transform STEM Education Through Cutting-Edge VR Technology

    Hyundai: The Only Way To Beat China Is To Embrace Technology – InsideEVs

    Hyundai’s Bold Strategy to Outpace China with Cutting-Edge Technology

    Teaching older adults how to use technology – WWNY

    Empowering Older Adults to Master Technology with Confidence

    Denver man receives pacemaker using new technology – CBS News

    Denver Man’s Life Transformed by Revolutionary Pacemaker Technology

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
Earth-News
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Why voters fall out of love with liberation movements

June 11, 2024
in News
Why voters fall out of love with liberation movements
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

3 hours ago

By Danai Nesta Kupemba, BBC News

Getty Images Winnie Mandela cheers her husband Nelson Mandela during his first ANC Conference in thirty yearGetty Images

The ANC under Nelson Mandela achieved its aim of ending white-minority rule in South Africa in 1994

Africa’s oldest liberation movement is in trouble and may be going the way of similar groups across the continent.

The African National Congress (ANC) – founded in South Africa more than a century ago – has lost its majority in parliament for the first time in 30 years, although it remains by far the country’s most popular party.

No longer, it seems, were large numbers of voters reflexively willing to give the party of Nelson Mandela their support because it had lead the struggle against the racist apartheid system.

This mirrors the decline of other parties that battled colonial rule and made it to power, which have subsequently fallen prey to corruption, cronyism and a disgruntled population hungry for change.

Some of those liberation movements which remain in power in southern Africa are accused of only doing so by stealing elections.

“It is inevitable that people will start to want change,” said researcher David Soler Crespo, who has written about the “slow death of liberation movements”.

“It’s impossible for the same party to be democratically elected for 100 years.”

However, they have managed to impose a strong grip, not only on the apparatus of power, but also on the psyche of the nation.

As the successful movements transitioned from the bush to the office, they touted themselves as the only ones that could lead.

They ingrained the movement into the DNA of the country, making it difficult to separate the party from the state.

In Namibia, the phrase “Swapo is the nation, and the nation is Swapo” used during its struggle against apartheid South African rule, remains potent.

AFP Nelson Mandela (L) and Kenneth Kaunda (R)AFP

Zambia’s founding father Kenneth Kaunda hosted Nelson Mandela in 1990, just weeks after the ANC leader was freed, before losing elections the following year

Looking across the region, civil servants and government appointees, especially in the security forces and state-controlled media were often former guerrilla fighters, who may have put loyalty to the party before the nation.

“There is no line between state and party. It’s more than a party, it’s a system,” said Mr Crespo.

And the legacy of liberation is deeply embedded in the region’s culture, with stories of struggle shared across family dinner tables and national media continually reminding citizens of their hard-won freedom.

Liberation songs and war cries are sung in high schools, even at sports matches.

For citizens to move away from the liberation party is a big psychological wrench. But over time it does happen.

“People are no longer influenced by history when they vote,” Namibian social scientist Ndumba Kamwanyah told the BBC, reflecting on the declining support for Swapo, which has been in power since 1990.

Many of the parties espoused socialist ideologies, but these have often fallen by the wayside over time and people have questioned whether citizens are benefitting equally.

One of the first independence movements in southern Africa to feel this disdain for history was Zambia’s United National Independence Party (Unip), which came into power in 1964 as British rule ended.

Throughout most of the 1970s and 1980s it governed the country as the sole legal party, with founding father Kenneth Kaunda at the helm. But discontent grew and in 1990 there were deadly protests in the capital, Lusaka, and a coup attempt.

The following year, the first multi-party elections for more than two decades saw President Kaunda lose out to Frederick Chiluba. Unip, once all-powerful, has now all but disappeared.

Liberation movements in Angola, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe remain in power but have all experienced a decline in support and vote share in general elections.

AFP Thousands of South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO) supporters sing freedom songs, at a rally to celebrate Swapo's 22nd anniversary of their guerrila war against South Africa's continued occupation of Namibia, on August 28, 1988 in Windhoek.AFP

The history of the liberation struggle in Namibia and elsewhere has a powerful hold on the population

In Namibia, 2019 marked a watershed for Swapo as it lost its two-thirds parliamentary majority.

In the presidential election, Hage Geingob also suffered a sobering decline in popularity as his share of the vote dropped from 87% in 2014 to 56%.

The following year, Swapo suffered historic losses in regional and local elections.

Prof Kamwanyah, who campaigned for the party more than 30 years ago, says he maintains a deep respect for what the liberation government achieved in the past, but he is disappointed with the present reality.

“What the party is doing doesn’t reflect the core original values of why people died for this country,” the Namibian academic said.

Namibia will hold its general election in November and there is some speculation that it could suffer the same fate as the ANC.

“I think Swapo will win, but they will not get a majority,” Prof Kamwanyah said.

Ndiilokelwa Nthengwe, a 26-year-old Namibian activist, says there has been a generational shift.

“Our generation’s values don’t align with the government,” she told the BBC.

Ms Nthengwe has been at the forefront of many social movements in the country.

Young people value sexual and gender equality, she says, along with jobs and better healthcare.

“All the youth want is change, change, and more change.”

AFP South African President Nelson Mandela (C) and his counterparts, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe (L) and Namibia's Sam Nujoma (R), shake hands after a joint press conference in Pretoria, 05 March 1999.AFP

The popularity of the parties once led by Robert Mugabe (L) in Zimbabwe, Nelson Mandela (C) in South Africa and Sam Nujoma (R) in Namibia have all declined

But whereas Namibia, along with South Africa, are seen as relatively open democracies, the governing parties in Zimbabwe, Angola and Mozambique have been accused of shutting down dissent in order to maintain their hold on power.

Election rigging, suppressing opposition parties and voter intimidation have been among their alleged tactics.

Adriano Nuvunga, chairperson of the Southern Defenders Observer Mission, has witnessed elections in Mozambique for the last two decades.

“All of the elections I’ve observed since 1999 were fraudulent,” said Mr Nuvunga.

He says he also saw voter intimidation and ballot tampering.

In Zimbabwe in 2008 Amnesty International documented unlawful killings, torture and other ill-treatment of opposition supporters between the first round and second round of the presidential vote. In fact most of Zimbabwe’s elections have been marred by allegations of tampering or intimidation of the opposition, although this is always denied by the ruling party, Zanu-PF.

Following the 2022 elections in Angola, thousands of people took to the streets to protest against alleged electoral fraud.

The longer the liberation movements have stayed in power, the more they are accused of corruption and cronyism and not governing in the interests of the people.

Chris Hani, the late South African anti-apartheid hero, foresaw this when he said: “What I fear is that the liberators emerge as elitists who drive around in Mercedes Benzes and use the resources of this country to live in palaces and gather riches.”

But one former Zimbabwean liberation fighter, who asked to remain anonymous, told the BBC that many of the movements had not had enough time to come to grips with the world order.

He pointed out that Europe endured authoritarian monarchies ruling for centuries and they have had time to learn and adapt.

“Liberation governments are still playing catch-up in a world that wasn’t designed for them,” he said.

Overthrowing colonial and white-minority rule was hard, but governing has brought other challenges.

Leading a revolutionary movement requires a single-mindedness and strict loyalty, while running a country needs greater flexibility, collaboration and the ability to balance the interests of different sections of the population.

Some movements have fallen short on this. And they may not have much time left.

But Mr Crespo maintains that if these parties reclaim the ideals that brought them into government, listen to the youth and find themselves again, they may be able to hold on a little longer.

BBC South Africa election banner

Getty Images/BBC A woman looking at her mobile phone and the graphic BBC News AfricaGetty Images/BBC

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : BBC News – https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c166zlx6354o

Tags: liberationnewsvoters
Previous Post

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 837

Next Post

UN Security Council backs US Israel-Gaza ceasefire plan

Third annual event highlights cultural, ecological importance of Tawas Lake – Iosco County News Herald

Explore the Vibrant Culture and Stunning Ecology of Tawas Lake at This Year’s Exciting Third Annual Event!

August 24, 2025
UNT Ph.D. Grad Gives $2M to Launch Data Science Innovation Lab – Dallas Innovates

UNT Ph.D. Grad Gives $2M to Launch Data Science Innovation Lab – Dallas Innovates

August 24, 2025
Center to advance hunting and conservation looks to tradition, science – NBC Montana

Center Pioneers New Era in Hunting and Conservation by Merging Tradition with Science

August 24, 2025
‘Hidden gem’ – the lifestyle village beating the property slump – Stuff

‘Hidden gem’ – the lifestyle village beating the property slump – Stuff

August 24, 2025
UNLV Responds to Workforce Need with Microcredential in Nuclear Technology – University of Nevada, Las Vegas | UNLV

UNLV Unveils Cutting-Edge Microcredential Program to Fuel Growth in Nuclear Technology

August 24, 2025
Women’s football moves mountains in Pakistan – EL PAÍS English

Women’s football moves mountains in Pakistan – EL PAÍS English

August 24, 2025
Lifeguard, 82, Sets Impressive Guinness World Record After More Than 60 Years Lifeguarding – People.com

82-Year-Old Lifeguard Breaks Guinness World Record After Over 60 Years on Duty

August 24, 2025
Powell’s Rate Cut Signal Reflects Economy’s Delicate Position – Hindustan Times

Powell’s Rate Cut Signal Reflects Economy’s Delicate Position – Hindustan Times

August 24, 2025
Drake Appears in Teaser for Bobbi Althoff’s New Podcast ‘Not This Again’ – yahoo.com

Drake Drops a Surprise Cameo in Bobbi Althoff’s Thrilling New Podcast Teaser ‘Not This Again

August 24, 2025
Hamilton County school board rejects mental health center contract – Chattanooga Times Free Press

Hamilton County School Board Rejects Contract for New Mental Health Center

August 24, 2025

Categories

Archives

August 2025
MTWTFSS
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
« Jul    
Earth-News.info

The Earth News is an independent English-language daily published Website from all around the World News

Browse by Category

  • Business (20,132)
  • Ecology (787)
  • Economy (807)
  • Entertainment (21,686)
  • General (16,641)
  • Health (9,847)
  • Lifestyle (820)
  • News (22,149)
  • People (809)
  • Politics (816)
  • Science (16,019)
  • Sports (21,306)
  • Technology (15,788)
  • World (788)

Recent News

Third annual event highlights cultural, ecological importance of Tawas Lake – Iosco County News Herald

Explore the Vibrant Culture and Stunning Ecology of Tawas Lake at This Year’s Exciting Third Annual Event!

August 24, 2025
UNT Ph.D. Grad Gives $2M to Launch Data Science Innovation Lab – Dallas Innovates

UNT Ph.D. Grad Gives $2M to Launch Data Science Innovation Lab – Dallas Innovates

August 24, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

Go to mobile version