The "reality of power" in Africa: truth or alibi?

The concept of the "reality of power" is often presented as self-evident in Africa, yet it remains largely unquestioned. Power is understood as the ability to impose one's will within constraints, operating within a complex matrix of historical legacies, structural dependencies, and frustrated aspirations. This raises the question of whether power serves as a tool for transformation or merely for reproduction. In its dominant form, power appears to stabilize existing balances rather than transform them, not due to incompetence, but because it operates within established frameworks. Accessing power often means entering a pre-existing architecture with its own rules, rather than creating new possibilities. This "reality of power" can act as a limitation, explaining policy shifts, justifying retreats, and normalizing silences, thereby reducing the scope of what is considered possible and suggesting that radical change is unrealistic. The true pitfall of power may not be the constraints themselves, but the habit that develops over time. This "reality" is not only objective but also internalized; individuals may enter power with transformative intentions but gradually learn to maintain it without disruption. This adaptation becomes the norm, and compromise emerges as a doctrine. Some political figures, such as Ousmane Sonko, challenge this logic, asserting that there is no inherent "reality of power" that must be accepted, and urging against confusing constraint with inevitability