Why Democracy does not Lead to Prosperity

Are African voters too easily swayed by charismatic politicians and powerful speeches? As several African countries prepare for another round of elections, this video essay examines the danger of political oratory and why eloquence should never be mistaken for leadership competence.From Kwame Nkrumah's revolutionary charisma and controversial economic policies in Ghana to William Ruto's declining popularity amid Kenya's 2024 Gen Z protests, I explore the limitations of charismatic leadership and the dangers of allowing rhetoric to overshadow sound judgement.Drawing on Remy Rowe's The Silver Tongue Fallacy and Tobi Lawson's Against Solutions, I examine the psychology of political persuasion, the relationship between rhetoric and governance, and why voters must look beyond campaign speeches, grandiose promises and political theatrics.Africa does not simply need eloquent politicians. It needs competent leaders who understand the complexities of governance, economics, public policy and nation-building.As voters, we must begin to demand reason over rhetoric, competence over charisma, objectivity over oratory, evidence over emotion, and precision over platitudes.Find me on: X: https://x.com/LukeOlaniyiInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dukeluke_ngCheck out my magazine: https://disaffected.ng/

Why does Africa keep going back to military rule?From Mali and Guinea to Burkina Faso, Niger, Sudan and Gabon, Africa has experienced a resurgence of military coups in recent years. But are coups really the solution to corruption, bad governance and economic stagnation?In this video essay, I examine the relationship between military coups, corruption, economic growth and political instability in Africa. Drawing on recent research by Seydou Ouattara, I explore what happens to institutions when military governments seize power, why coups can become self-perpetuating, and why the promise of a “benevolent dictator” often fails to deliver the transformation people hope for.I also look at countries such as Botswana, Mauritius, Ghana, Senegal, Kenya, Namibia and South Africa, which have avoided successful coups since 1990, and ask what their experience can tell us about institutional continuity and political stability.This is not an argument that African democracies are functioning perfectly. Far from it. Corruption, electoral manipulation, weak institutions and poor governance are real problems. But if democracy is dysfunctional, should the answer really be to dismantle the institutions that make political correction possible?The question is not simply democracy versus military rule. It is whether Africa can build institutions capable of correcting its political failures without repeatedly resorting to coups.Check out my magazine: https://disaffected.ng/Spotify and other podcasts: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/olayemi-olaniyiFollow me on my socials:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dukelukepoetry/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LukeOlaniyiDiscord: https://discord.gg/ChCBdnRP

Are we living in the best time in human history? It certainly doesn’t feel that way when we look at the news. Wars, poverty, unemployment, pandemics, crime, climate change and political crises dominate our attention. But what happens when we look beyond the headlines and examine the data?In this video essay, I explore Hans Rosling’s Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World—and Why Things Are Better Than You Think and its argument that our perception of the world is often much more negative than reality. From the Gap Instinct and Negativity Instinct to the Fear, Size, Generalisation and Urgency Instincts, Rosling explains why even educated people can have a surprisingly inaccurate understanding of global progress.We look at the decline in extreme poverty, rising life expectancy, improvements in education and healthcare, and the broader story of human progress. We also examine why bad news receives so much attention and whether recognising progress means we should become less concerned about the problems that still exist.The world is far from perfect. But perhaps the world we see in the headlines is not the whole world.Check out my magazine: https://disaffected.ng/Spotify and other podcasts: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/olayemi-olaniyiFollow me on my socials:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dukelukepoetry/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LukeOlaniyiDiscord: https://discord.gg/ChCBdnRP

What do Kwame Nkrumah, Nelson Mandela, Fela Kuti, and Jomo Kenyatta have in common? We often remember historical figures as heroes, freedom fighters, and liberators, but there may be another way to understand them: as counter-elites. Drawing on Peter Turchin’s ideas in End Times, this video explores how political and ideological movements are often led not by the masses themselves but by educated, well-connected, wealthy, or otherwise privileged individuals who mobilise popular discontent against the establishment. From the French and Bolshevik Revolutions to African independence movements, we examine the role of privilege, education, power, and ambition in producing revolutionary leaders—and ask what happens when yesterday’s counter-elites overthrow the establishment and become tomorrow’s ruling elites.Check out my magazine: https://disaffected.ng/Follow me on:X: https://x.com/LukeOlaniyiTikTok: tok.com/@dukeluke_ngIG: https://www.instagram.com/dukeluke_ng/Email: [email protected]

I recently gave a presentation at the Zanzalu Vanguard Residency titled The Paradox of Elite Overproduction and Elite Underproduction in Africa. It was inspired by Peter Turchin's book End Times: Elites, Counter-Elites, and the Path of Political Disintegration. Enjoy the video essay version of the presentation. Follow me on:X: https://x.com/LukeOlaniyiTikTok: iktok.com/@dukeluke_ngInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/dukeluke_ng/Check out my magazine: https://disaffected.ng/

This is a chat with Hollywood screenwriter and television writer Michael Sonnenschein. We talked about the decline of Hollywood blockbusters, how declining attention span is affecting cinema culture, the Avatar paradox, superhero fatigue, and which movie industry could step up if the decline continues. Check out my magazine: https://disaffected.ng/Spotify and other podcasts: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/olayemi-olaniyiFollow me on my socials:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dukelukepoetry/Twitter: https://twitter.com/LukeOlaniyiQuora: https://www.quora.com/profile/Olayemi-OlaniyiDiscord: https://discord.gg/ChCBdnRP

We are constantly fed negative news in the media and on social media. Because of this amplification, a lot of us naturally think that life has never been worse. In The Better Angels of Our Nature, Steven Pinker makes a compelling point about the historical decline of violence. He cites evidence from archaeology, literature, psychology, and political science to make a convincing argument.Here are my socials:X: https://x.com/LukeOlaniyiTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dukeluke_ngIG: https://www.instagram.com/dukeluke_ng/Check out my magazine: https://disaffected.ng/

A significant part of the Pan-African discourse is resource nationalism, the idea that African countries should control their natural resources instead of multinationals. However, this idea is not as easy as many make it seem. Niger has towed this path but it hasn’t turned out great. Find me on:X: https://x.com/LukeOlaniyiTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dukeluke_ngInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/dukeluke_ng/Check out my magazine: https://disaffected.ng/

It's Men's Health Month. A friend challenged me on why I've yet to make a video to lend my voice to the struggles men go through today, since, by my own admission, men don't speak up enough. To be clear, this is not an attempt to downplay the issues women face. My goal is to bring some balance to the heavily lopsided discourse on masculinity that essentializes men as inherently evil. Men get the short end of the stick in many ways. This is reductive and unfair to them. In this video, I talked about male disposability, the gamma bias, and the apex fallacy. I argued that these are some of the ideas and biases that influence mainstream discourse on masculinity.

In this video, I react to an essay by David Oks titled How Funerals Keep Africa Poor. According to the writer, extravagant funerals are common in Sub-Saharan African countries like Ghana, Nigeria, DR Congo, Cameroon, etc. He argues that these expensive funerals are not done just because of reverence for elders. He says they are a symptom of kinship obligations. And because African cultures, for the most part, are collectivist, it's hard for individuals to accumulate wealth. Find me on:X: https://x.com/LukeOlaniyiInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/dukeluke_ng/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dukeluke_ngCheck out my magazine: https://disaffected.ng/