The Indian government, through the ministry of external affairs, should be commended for hosting media outlets from a few african countries to learn about indian culture and the country’s fast-growing economy.
I’ve chosen to look briefly into the African and Indian shared past, our different paths as people, and the different futures we’re both facing as a way of introducing this long exposure to Africa and India relations. According to the most recent United Nations estimates, Africa’s current population is 1 476 275 995 as of October 2023. Africa’s population accounts for 17.89% of the total global population. Africans outnumber Indians (1 425 775 850 at the end of April 2023), but they are highly divided. We also share a common history, which includes colonial masters’ oppression, exploitation, marginalization, and displacement of our peoples. The two groups dealt with circumstances in different ways because the unfortunate circumstances had different negative consequences for both groups as they encountered people from different cultures and traditions.
What can India teach Africa? Our ethnic diversity has been critical in allowing Africans and Indians to develop and industrialize in the post-colonial era. The reality is that the African continent has lagged in development because it is a highly ethnically diverse continent with no common link, such as religion or language. In Africa, over 3000 languages are spoken, many of which have roots in the major language families. Arabic is an Afro-Asianic language that originated in East and North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Nilo-Saharan and Nilo-Congo are non-Bantu branches of Niger-Congo. According to scholars, Africa has highly diverse cultures, and no indigenous language, such as Hindi in India, is more dominant than another; thus, communication for development becomes difficult. When it comes to Africa, the biblical account of Babel cannot be more accurate. While India has 22 distinct official languages, it also has 121 languages and 270 mother tongues. It is also the home of Hindi, the world’s oldest language. Hinduism is the most widely practiced religion in India. Almost 80 percent of Indians identify as Hindu. Many aspects of Indian culture, including film and television, are influenced by Hinduism. In the case of Africa, foreign languages and religions such as Arabic, Christianity, and all colonial languages were the only means of communication between Africans. Finally, because Africans were a highly divided people without their own common religion, they were rendered weak and were unable to unite and find common synergies to foster great development within themselves. The ancient kingdoms and empires that had held the people together had all vanished with the passage of time. All of these great kingdoms and empires vanished over time as a result of Arab invasions and internal civil wars, until the arrival of colonialists in more recent times.
Democracy’s Age
Because Africans were a traditional people ruled by kings and emperors, the arrival of the age of democracy and multi-political party democracy did not help Africa’s unity, as it did India’s. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, also known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian national leader and social reformist known as the “Father of Our Nation.” Gandhi pioneered a nonviolent form of sociopolitical protest known as satyagraha, which eventually led to the Indian people’s liberation from the British. Yes, there was political violence in India, but unity and peace have since been restored. The original African liberators became dictators, embodying everything that was wrong with colonialists. More lives would be lost in the struggle to liberate Africans from the liberators than in the colonial wars. When Africans’ ideologies diverged, they formed new political parties, took their tribes, and went to war. Because everyone has and practices different religions, there was very little consideration or room for religion. The scramble for Africa by colonial masters had such a devastating effect on the continent that they fought each other for over fifty years after the colonialists had left. This is due to the highly arbitrary borders that separated families and ethnic groups.
The most populous democracy
Though India became a free nation on August 15, 1947, it declared itself a sovereign, democratic, and republican state on January 26, 1950, with the adoption of the Constitution. It would not be incorrect to say that the principle of democracy was derived from the Vedas. Both the Rig Veda and the Atharva Veda mention the Sabha and Samiti. Rigveda (Sanskrit: ‘The Knowledge of Verses’) is one of Hinduism’s oldest sacred books, written in an ancient form of Sanskrit. Following a discussion with the king, ministers, and scholars at the time, a decision was made in many meetings. What are the distinguishing characteristics of Indian democracy? * Basic human rights, * a multi-party-political system, * and political tolerance * A democratic voting system; * adherence to the rule of law; * democratic governance; and.* citizen involvement.
Indian democracy has a strong dharma foundation.
While western liberal democracies are solely concerned with achieving good governance, Indian democracy is also concerned with developing a sense of universal responsibility, the well-being of all creatures, concern for nature and mankind, and avoiding infringement on the freedom of others. It is a constitutional republic as well as a representative democracy, which means that majority rule is balanced by the rights recognized by law’ for the various minority groups. India, which is a federal system, is made up of 28 states and eight union territories.
It may be incorrect to compare India to Africa because Africa is a vast continent and several India’s can fit into it; however, the population of India is comparable. If Africa is to develop as rapidly as India, Africans must be willing to learn from India and other parts of the world and apply what they have learned to improve their own situation. The African media delegates who were invited to India were introduced to various state organs, including the Elections Commission of India, which is in charge of 850 million Indian eligible voters. As we present various articles in this publication, we will go over the lessons we were able to learn from India.