Stephanie McCrummen at The Washington Post has a pretty interesting article on the so-called "Africa 2s," (a term coined by business professor Vijay Mahajan) middle income consumers in countries like Uganda who are participating in some fundamental changes in how young Africans see themselves.
For example, although older Ugandans were forced to see themselves in terms of ethnicity during the brutal reign of Idi Amin, Ruharo's identity has more to do with where he shops and what he buys, which in turn reflects the wider world he greets each day on the Internet and cable TV or on occasional trips to London.
"What matters is your lifestyle," said Ruharo, whose current reading includes a motivational book, "The Greatness Guide."
"The car you drive -- it should be a Japanese import. Where you hang. You have to live in an apartment -- I live down here in Bakoto Flats. The BlackBerry is important. It's purely a status symbol because no one here is that busy yet."
Kenyan economist James Shikwati believes that democratizing changes come with the rise of the Africa 2s.That's all well and good, but given China's transition into a more market based economy it's clear that democracy and individual freedom don't necessarily go hand in hand. As Harold Myerson pointed out, China's model of "affable collectivism" may even be more attractive after the Olympics, and that may be especially true in countries that are still reeling from past violence and may be more likely to accept or be forced to settle for stability over democracy. For example, the Post notes that President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, while cutting the poverty rate and assisting economic growth, has gained a reputation for using violence against his political opponents.
--A. Serwer
