The Illegitimacy of Democracy? Democratisation and Alienation in Maputo, Mozambique

Abstract

This paper examines the effects of democratisation in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. The author argues that the introduction of multi-party democracy has weakened the state's legitimacy amongst a group that was once a pillar of the regime and demonstrates this assertion by examining the growing alienation between the urban middle class and the dominant, state-based elite in Maputo. By investigating this growing social separation, the paper concludes that although the stated aim of democratisation is to subject the government to the \'will of the people\', instead it appears that the state is seeking to be legitimate in the eyes of the foreign donors that help to fund the democratisation project, rather than with the wider population of the city. Read the id21 Research Highlight: Analysing Mozambique's commitment to democracy