Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin - Kultur-, Sozial- und Bildungswissenschaftliche Fakultät - Institut für Asien- und Afrikawissenschaften

Africa Colloquium

Sommersemester 2025

Venue & time: Invalidenstraße 118, r. 315; 16-18 h c.t.

The Afrikakolloquium is organised this semester jointly by
Dr. Lamine Doumbia (Department for African Studies, HU) and
Dr. Susann Baller (Centre Marc Bloch Berlin)

The colloquium is open to the public. Students, colleagues and guests are welcome!

Prof. Dr. Anja Osei

(Freie Universität Berlin)

Who Rules in Africa? Political Representation, Parliaments and Social Inequality

Representation is a key function of parliaments: they should mirror the composition of the population and act in accordance with the preferences of the electorate. In reality, however, they often fall short of this ideal. Especially in Africa, parliaments are seen as weak institutions that do little more than rubberstamping government policies.

On the basis of data collected in Gabon, Benin, Cameroon, Uganda, Botswana and Tanzania, I will present insights into the demographic profiles of Members of Parliament (MPs). Although the countries differ with regard to the level of democracy and institutional framework, there are a number of similarities. MPs are predominantly male, over 50 years old, and highly educated. Most of them have had long careers in politics, business, or adminsitration before being elected to parliament. On the other hand, parliaments tend to reflect the ethnic and religious diversity of their societies. Their interactions with the electorate are often informal and clientelistic.

As a result, MPs constitute a priviliged political class that is relatively detached from the social realities of their voters. The lecture will also discuss the implication of these empirical findings for political and social development.

Anja Osei is a professor for comparative politics with a regional focus on Africa at the Freie Universität Berlin. She previously held a position as an independent researcher at the University of Konstanz. In 2010, she received her PhD from the Department of African Studies at the University of Leipzig. She was the PI of the “Do Legislatures Enhance Democracy in Africa?” funded by the European Research Council. Her research interests include democratization, political institutions, political elites, and political parties in Africa as well as social network analysis. She has done field extensive field research in Ghana, Senegal, Togo, Sierra Leone, Mali, Gabon, Uganda, Botswana, Tanzania, and Cameroon. Currently, she is preparing a public opinion survey project on political legitimacy, neo-panafricanism, and military coups in Africa.