François Mongumu Ebuta's "Stupidocratie" examines incompetence in African governance

Presented on August 8 in Libreville, the book explores how governance mechanisms contribute to Africa's persistent challenges. Ebuta introduces the concept of "stupidocracy," defining it as governance marked by the incompetence and "intellectual and practical stupidity" of some leaders. He argues this leads to difficulties in essential sectors such as poverty, access to water, energy, industry, housing, peace, and digital development.

Ebuta highlights the paradox of a resource-rich continent where many populations face poor living conditions, attributing this to bad governance that fails to transform natural wealth into development levers. He cites the example of countries surrounded by water where populations still lack access to it. The book, comprising seven chapters, uses real-life situations to illustrate the issues.

Literary critic Eric Kabaga Lekogo praised the author's courage and the book's radical yet realistic approach. Jordan Betshindo, representing the DRC embassy for cultural affairs, emphasized the book's relevance for continental debate, suggesting cultural diplomacy can contribute to development discussions. Ebuta proposes solutions centered on greater community involvement in managing daily i