Something is happening in Africa. Slowly, and almost imperceptibly, a democratic revolution might be underway. Over the past six months, we have witnessed an unprecedented spate of turnovers in leadership, strikingly in countries not exactly reputed for smooth successions. Most of these exits have been more forced than voluntary. Robert Mugabe, who looked set on becoming the president-for-life of Zimbabwe, was eased out by his own ruling party. José Eduardo dos Santos of Angola followed shortly afterwards, bringing an end to years at the helm of the Southern African oil-rich state. In mid-February, SA’s Jacob Zuma, long embattled by corruption allegations finally found himself in an untenable position and with no more allies in his party. He resigned. Just days later, erstwhile Ethiopian prime minister Hailemariam Desalegn unexpectedly announced his resignation as mounting political and ethnic unrest threatened to tip Africa’s second most populous country into chaos. One way of inte...
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