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are a system that paralyzes populations, resigning them to watching the slow agony of their country in the hands of a gerontocratic, kleptocratic elite.- In Syria, after years of war, some civilians have come to see Bashar al-Assad as a“ lesser evil”.- In Russia, Putin turned the chaos of the 1990s into an argument for authoritarian power, in exchange for social order.- In Chad or Sudan, military coups are sometimes accepted as a“ temporary solution”, simply because they interrupt the chaos. Desperation becomes a tool of consent. In countries where those in power have long manipulated public opinion, even after the fall of the regime, citizens remain passive. They wait for a“ savior”, doubt the possibility of change, or worse still, distrust those who want to think differently. This is what we see in Cameroon, Togo, Algeria and the DRC, where political disenchantment coexists with resigned acceptance of the established order. And suddenly, the only logic that imposes itself becomes blind navigation into the paranormal.
The exile of the occult
Faced with political impotence, endemic poverty and the impunity of predatory elites, large sections of Africa’ s disillusioned populations turn to mystical practices as a last resort. When the state offers neither justice nor a future, when ballot boxes are rigged and revolts crushed, many end up believing that only an invisible force- divine, ancestral or occult- can change their destiny. This phenomenon is not new, but it intensifies in contexts where civic rationality is systematically devalued. In place of political commitment, a mixture of resignation and magical hope takes root: young people frequent marabouts to“ unlock their future”, merchants multiply rituals to protect their meagre earnings, and some politicians themselve.
Flashmag! Edition 163 Aout 2025
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