In most of Africa, there is evidence of politicised inter-ethnic rivalry
and ethnic mobilisation to acquire, maintain or monopolise power as
competition for resources intensify. This volume demonstrates how ethnic
diversity can be managed at a number of levels in order to improve the
lives of citizens. As the contributors show, ethnicity as an identity is
fluid and malleable. It can be deconstructed in order to reduce its
saliency. Evidently, strong ethnic affliation has also been viewed as a
major barrier to human and economic development although ethnically
bound welfare organisations do influence the economic and social life of
citizens especially in the rural areas, In most of Africa, it is through
ethnic identification that competition for influence in the state and in
the allocation of resources becomes apparent. Occasionally, governments
have sought to address this challenge through ethnic and regional
balancing in political appointments. But this does not always work.
Drawing on experiences from Eastern Africa and beyond, the contributors
discuss how ethnic diversity can be a resource for the region.