Populism in Africa: Personalistic leaders and the illusion of representation

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to give an account of populism in Africa analysing extant literature and looking at four specific cases, who were selected considering their varying features of populism and distinct generational differences. Although populism has often been associated with the erosion of freedom of expression and press freedom in other parts of the world, the media environment in African countries makes it difficult to evaluate the actual impact of populism on media freedom. Eloquent, confident, and tough-talking, the militant Malema rose to prominence in the African National Congress, South Africa's ruling party's youth wing. The four cases described in the chapter demonstrate how initially populism in Africa was mostly linked to anti-colonial politics and that later, it also emerged as a differentiation strategy and a response to governments that had become too detached from the population.