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2.3 Characteristics of national liberation movements in Africa and theoretical perspective

The national armed liberation struggle against European colonial rule in Africa took place in the context of
nationalism and cold war. Many of the struggles were supported by the former Soviet Union and Peoples

Republic of China. Both incorporated Marxist-Leninist. Secondly, there was greater emphasis on the
centrality of the state in development and social transformation (Hyden, 2006, Ntalaja,1984).

It was and is believed that after capturing state power, they could bring about radical transformation. What
is more, they were popular movements inspired by high levels of popular participation, discipline and

obedience to the national liberation movement. Popular participation and legitimacy are therefore assumed
to be an integral part of the struggle against oppressive colonial regimes and not conferred through an
election. Finally, all national liberation movements considered socialism as the likely acceptable outcome

of the struggle. The latter assumes that there were certain entitlements and policies expected to be pursued
by the national liberation movements once in power. Such policies were aimed at socializing gains of the
struggle and advance public good. It is the promise of public good and socialism that made the national
liberation movements popular and appealing to the hearts and minds of the people (Ntalaja,1984).

All the national liberation movements notwithstanding the similarities have some differences that are
specific to the movement and its traditions. The common denominator and central to the national liberation
movements is the capture of state power and transition to socialism through social transformation. Although
many of the national liberation movements waged armed struggle, Melber concludes that they became
part of the problems and many of the issues they fought for became aspirational even after capturing state

power. Although his studies are confined to Southern Africa, his conclusions are generalizable. He observes
that the promised good life becomes a mirage or far-fetched as they concede too much ground to the forces
of capitalism that they have been fighting against during the national liberation struggle. Such concessions,

argues Cabral led to neo-colonial political settlement and leadership that emerged became anti-people. It is
therefore not a surprise that all national liberation movements ended up compromising into a neo-colonial
rule and post phoned the essence of the struggle leading to personal or authoritarian rule that did not allow
other political players to come in or deliberately distorted history into a single narrative of the dominant
party.

Hippler (2005) observes that national liberation movements had a nationalist agenda and national project that
had five core tasks. It sought to build a competitive national economy and promotion of social integration.
Furthermore, it sought to construct collective identity and safe guard for sovereignty and territorial integrity.

It sought legitimacy and consolidation of state power (Keating, 2005:65). Yash Tandon(2009)posits that
although national project was informed by struggle against colonialism, it could not however be reduced
to the colonial question alone. It is equally applicable to other non-colonial situations such as autocratic
regimes by Africans themselves. The first stanza was however about seeking political kingdom first as

Kwame Nkrumah noted (Mazrui, 1999). Therefore, liberation movements engaged in national projects
aimed at forging national consciousness out of people of different ethnic, class, and gender, religious and
generational differences otherwise known as nation building. The agenda of nation building is otherwise
articulated or understood as national question even though it is much wider and has other concerns.

The answer to national question argues Ntalaja (1987:43) requires a theoretical discussion of nation
problematic and posed the following questions: what is a nation? Are there nations in Africa? Are
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