Colonialization has been the most important factor in the evolution of the modern African

state. It sets the boundaries of the state, provided it with state structure - constitution,
governance systems, bureaucracy etc. as well as linked Africa with the global economy in a
centre-periphery relationship. Nevertheless, in discussing the current state of the state in
Africa, we must not fall into the error into which many have fallen of thinking that there was
no state before the colonial encounter. There was I shall argue that a poor understanding of
the elements of the pre-colonial state is part of the crisis of African states on the continent. In
this section, therefore, I shall discuss the pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial state
formations.

This brings us to the second reason for focusing on the precolonial state. In spite of the efforts
to distort, supplant and suppress it, the pre-colonial state formation remains the institution
which serves the needs of the majority of the African peoples especially in the rural areas,
although elements of the pre-colonial state can be discerned even in Africa's largest
metropolitan centres.

Whether in the state or stateless societies, African precolonial political organizations had some
common important attributes. First, the state was concerned with the welfare of all its citizens.
Some have gone ahead to label this as communalism, but the central notion was that the
welfare of every member, rather than just a few within the community, mattered. Secondly,
the society was organized for political purposes on the basis of lineage: thus the lineage
connected the family to the state. This ensured the state of maximum popular support but also
ascertained that state sanctions can be effectively communicated. Thirdly, there was an
aversion to concentrated authority. Indeed, this is the raison detre for stateless societies. A
deliberate effort is made to ensure in stateless societies that each 'state' was large enough to
defend itself but small enough to have internal cohesion.

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George Ayittey (1991) recognises two broad types of African pre-colonial political formations -
the 'Stateless' or acephalous societies and states which centralized authority (chiefs),
administrative machinery and judicial institutions. Stateless societies included the Igbo of
Nigeria, the Kung of Liberia, the Tallenssi of Ghana, the Somalis, Jie of Uganda and Mbeere of
Kenya. On the other hand, state societies which incorporate several societies conquered in war
or which voluntarily submitted to another. Such states have a centralized authority
(personified in the head chief). Whether in the state or stateless societies, African precolonial
political organizations had some common important attributes. First, the state was concerned
with the welfare of all its citizens. Some have gone ahead to label this as communalism, but
the central notion was that the welfare of every member, rather than just a few within the
community, mattered.
Secondly, the society was organized for political purposes on the basis of lineage: thus the
lineage connected the family to the state. This ensured the state of maximum popular support
but also ascertained that state sanctions can be effectively communicated. Thirdly, there was
an aversion to concentrated authority. Indeed, this is the raison detre for stateless societies. A
deliberate effort is made to ensure in stateless societies that each 'state' was large enough to
defend itself but small enough to have internal cohesion. Stateless societies recognized the
positive and negative factors in centralized authority systems. They knew that centralized rule
could be useful in defending their communities against aggression and usually federated to
ward off external attacks. On the other hand, they also dreaded the theoretical possibility of
autocracy and tyranny which centralised government represented. Hence, it was not not only
that they avoided it but adopted a number of mythical narratives on the abuses of centralised
government. Similarly, even in the centralized kingdoms, checks and balances were instituted
against tyranny. Even though in theory, African 'chiefs' wielded extensive and seemingly
limitless powers, they were limited in practice. Some ofthe checks include: (i) the ideal notions
of leadership woven into oral narratives was one that emphasised consensus leadership rather
than one who imposed his opinions on others; (ii) imposition of religious or supernatural
sanctions (including invocation of curses or advising the ruler to drink poison); (iii)
institutionalized sanctions - including private and public admonitions (rebuke by the Queen
mother, Council of Elders or 6 threat of desposition), prohibitions/taboos, destoolment and
peasant revolt. Finally, the African state emphasised the duties of citizenship. This was usually
ritualized and formed a major aspect of the initiation ceremonies on reaching puberty. Young
men not only had to learn the art of war and are taught to be ready to lay down their lives for
the commonwealth, they are also taught to perform other tasks e.g. road building, wall
construction through their various age grades. Young women learn how to be good wives and
mothers to their children as well as responsible members of the community.