Broadly speaking, democratisation came to much of sub-Saharan Africa after about 1990. In some cases, this was a re- democratisation, where independence initially transmitted sovereignty to a competitive multi-party system. The statement is a rough approximation. (Botswana was durably democratised following decolonisation in 1966, while Nigeria failed to make democratisation durable both before and again after 1990, for instance.) But as a generalisation applying to a large region, the claim is as defensible as most others of its kind. The more interesting questions are what this abrupt and extensive regional ‘wave’ of democratisation really signifies in the African context? Is it the same as in other large regions? Does it matter to ordinary people? How long do we need to assess either its significance or its durability?

This volume looks back on the processes of the 1990s from the perspective of 2008. The cut-off date is, of course, arbitrary, and may distort our perception of the underlying trends. Recent news from Zimbabwe, but also from Kenya, Somalia, and Mauritania among others, indicates the counter-currents to any over-generalised claims about ‘waves’. The book demonstrates the diversity of outcomes across the region, and investigates how far theories and models developed elsewhere require modification in this context. Democratisation matters in Africa, as elsewhere. People struggle and suffer for it, some show great inventiveness in devising ways to enhance its significance and durability. But each national context matters as well. Historical memories, group loyalties, political economy issues, including aid dependence, and geopolitical realities all affect how any particular democratisation process turns out.