TRADITIONAL LEADERSHIP AND CORRUPTION IN PRE-COLONIAL AFRICA: HOW THE PAST AFFECTS THE PRESENT

Abstract

There are two popular schools of thought about corruption in pre-colonial Africathe Afrocentric view and that of decolonisation.The latter argues that there were corrupt practices broadly defined in pre-colonial Africa, since corruption is a universal concept.It further argues that many traditional African leaders were and are still corrupt, independent of colonial influence.Therefore, they could not be insulated from corruption.The Afrocentric school argues that pre-colonial African leaders were responsible and responsive to their subjects and avoided corruption as much as possible.It maintains that traditional African leaders in the pre-colonial period could hardly be said to be corrupt, because of the communal spirit that guided their operation.This paper critically examines both views and posits that corrupt practices as a human rights violation were present in pre-colonial Africa and still resonate in post-colonial Africa.