Colonialists didn’t fail to root out Africa’s tribal politics. They created it.

In the West, rulers used notions of race to subjugate black people. In Africa, they used ethnicity. 

BY KAMAU MUIGA

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In the end, Kenyatta was indeed re-elected, winning almost the entire Kikuyu vote. His running mate did the same with the Kalenjin votes, the two men garnering over 95% in counties where their ethnic groups are the overwhelming majority. Their main challenger, Raila Odinga, got over 90% in counties where the Luo dominate.

In countries across Africa, similar patterns emerge in elections. From Kenya, to Sierra Leone, to Malawi, many votes cut heavily across ethnic or regional lines. Ethnic politics in Africa is commonplace.

This fact is often framed as a continent-wide struggle between the ancient and the modern, between Africa’s age-old tribal allegiances and its modern political institutions inherited from Europe. According to this narrative, African societies are yet to be fully reformed by modern life. When faced with elections therefore, voters continue to express old tribal solidarities rather than deciding based on ideology or policy.

This argument presents European colonialism as a civilising mission against the customary order, albeit one which failed to fully de-tribalise its subjects. The 1884 Berlin Conference, far from dividing Africa among European powers, becomes seen as a unifying exercise that brought tribes together into modern political entities. As foreign affairs commentator Jonathan Power wrote in a 2006 article for The New York Times:

“On Africa’s left it has been a common jibe that the Europeans ‘divided’ Africa. In fact they brought Africa together. Indeed – as in Nigeria, where Lord Lugard forced more than 250 ethnic groups involving today’s 130 million people into one political unit – you could argue that the colonialists went overboard in the quest for unity.”

African tribalism is contrasted with the ideal standard of Western modernity. This received narrative is deeply questionable.

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Once, a civil servant using a misogynistic jab, asked why I have a Portuguese surname, adding - Was it because you have Portuguese ancestry?

I did not call out his ignorance, it would have been uncalled for - colonialism is still seen as an utter act of chivalry among many ignorant/racist people. But, I did leave him with a bit of salt, I told him - no, the colonialist administration used coded names for BETTER collecting taxes - he laughed, he did not listen, predictably.