A SARTREAN ANALYSIS OF THE AFRICANS’ DENIAL OF FREEDOM AND RESPONSIBILITY IN POLITICS

Africans are experiencing a crisis of authentic freedom. The prolonged deprivation of freedom through enslavement, colonialism, and neo-colonialism has been sustained by the denial of both freedom and responsibility among political leaders and citizens alike. During the colonial era, which followed the Berlin Conference of 1884–1885, Africans were deprived of their political, social, and economic freedom as foreign powers and multinational companies exploited the continent’s human and natural resources. The decolonization movements sought to restore this lost freedom. However, despite achieving political independence, many African societies continue to experience the loss of authentic freedom. Internally, this is reflected in despotic and irresponsible political leadership that abuses human rights and undermines democratic principles. Externally, neo-colonial structures continue to limit Africa’s political and economic freedom. From Jean-Paul Sartre’s existential perspective, this persistent loss of freedom can be understood as a consequence of ‘bad faith’—the denial of one’s own freedom and responsibility. Sartre argues that authentic freedom is inseparable from being responsible, and that any genuine struggle to reclaim freedom requires individuals and leaders to acknowledge both their freedom and their responsibility for shaping their own destiny. Therefore, this  study employs the critical hermeneutical method to examine how Sartre’s notion of ‘bad faith’ can contribute to the struggle against the denial of freedom and responsibility in African politics.