The African renaissance and the Afro-Arab spring - A season of rebirth? (Paperback)

The hope and despair surrounding the Afro-Arab spring in North African countries have only just begun to be played out in regional and global politics. Similarly, the call for an African renaissance that followed what has been called a 'miraculous' negotiated political transition in South Africa is, 20 years later, viewed with ambiguity. It is clear that current developments in Africa - North and South - promise something markedly different to what has prevailed at any point since the dawn of the African independence movements in the 1950s. This inspires the suggestion that these developments are reminiscent of the 'European moment' in 1989 that saw the fall of the Berlin Wall. Countries such as Mali, the Central African Republic, Cote d'Ivoire, Somalia and Zimbabwe are experiencing turbulence every bit as challenging as that in the Afro-Arab countries and South Africa. This book specifically identifies and assesses lessons learned and insights gained from the South African transition and considers whether these lessons and insights have any significance for Arab Spring countries. In turn, current protests and emerging threats to democracy in the Arab spring countries are highlighted as realities which South Africa would do well to ponder.