When Africans fought against colonialism in the 20th Century the main objective was not only to dismantle the unethical colonial system but to establish a new type of governance, a system that would fight for the freedom and rights for everyone and not leave anyone behind, so we were led to believe. That turned out to be ONE big hoax; the moment direct colonial rule collapsed, the moral bankruptcy of Black leaders showed its ugly face, gluttony took over, lust for power and not service to the public defined the leadership doctrine.
Proximity to power and clan identity and not ideas and merit became important to survival in the newly independent Africa states; tribalism weaved its way through communities to become an essential component of the socio-political ethos.
The silent cancer that is tribalism deepened and spread through the social fabric to affect the political design and atmosphere in the continent – 1983 – ’84 Gukurahundi atrocities in Zimbabwe, 1994 genocide in Rwanda, ethnic cleansing in West Darfur, persistent armed conflicts between rival groups (the Hema and Lendu) in the Ituri region of the Democratic Republic of Congo are some of the examples of the toxicity of tribalism. With tribalism taking control, ideas stopped being the primary driver of policy, clan identity shaped socioeconomic policy, undermined governance institutions and incompetence became the norm.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines tribalism “as strong in-group loyalty often combined with a negative view of outsiders.” Belonging in a group is essential as a survival mechanism against perceived and real-life structural adversity. Humans have tended to divide the world into “Us and Them” and think “We are superior”. Biology (evolutionary survival) favours “us vs. them” thinking, while lived experience (exposure and reflection) amplifies or mutes this reflex, leading to hostility or harmony. Either way, we choose our reality (Fieldman, 2026). If people construct the right social environment, they can avoid tribalism in its more extreme, harmful forms.
Biology (evolutionary survival) favours “us vs. them” thinking, while lived experience (exposure and reflection) amplifies or mutes this reflex, leading to hostility or harmony. Either way, we choose our reality.
– Anthony Fieldman, 2026.
Contemporary Africa has overseen the politicisation of tribes and the worsening of the cyclical relationship between tribalism and adversity hence the amplification of group divisions; structural adversity has often deteriorated into bitter “us vs. them” conflicts. Tribalism transforms disagreement into mutual hatred, mild condescension into utter contempt (Allan Buchanan).
Tribalism transforms disagreement into mutual hatred, mild condescension into utter contempt.
– Allan Buchanan
How adversity triggers tribalism
When individuals or communities face severe adversity — economic insecurity, unequal access to opportunities to power to influence change, rapid social change, or systemic fear — the human brain shifts into a protective survival mode, people seek ‘safety’ in familiarity and identity and increasingly shield themselves from strangers despite the lack of evidence incriminating ‘Them’.
Chronic stress and perceived danger physically enlarge the brain’s fear centre (amygdala) which affects critical thinking and heightens the sense of baseline threat and increases susceptibility to bias and tribal defensive postures.
When threatened, our biological impulse is to seek safety in numbers. Humans instinctually retreat into familiar psychological, political, or cultural “tribes” to regain a sense of control, belonging, and protection. And scapegoating becomes the primary method of addressing complex societal challenges.
How tribalism worsens adversity
Tribalism fractures society into small fragments along tribal lines reducing its ability to see shared interests and the capacity to endure or work together to overcome collective hardships. For instance, when facing existential threats—like global public health crises, climate shift, or economic inequality—tribalism causes groups to prioritise defeating their domestic opponents over cooperating to solve the shared crisis.
Erosion of shared reality: Tribalism forces logic to capitulate to group loyalty. In fear of being made outcasts, individuals will denounce facts and objective evidence if they conflict with their tribe’s core narrative.
| Lever | Actionable Mechanism |
| Violent Conflict | Deep ethnic divisions have historically escalated into severe civil unrest and tragic large-scale violence across various regions. |
| Economic Instability | Ethnic bias and political instability discourage foreign and domestic investment, harming local businesses and stalling long-term development. |
| Impeded Unity | Strong ethnic loyalties block the formation of a broader national or continental identity, slowing down wider African economic cooperation |
We must deconstruct the normalised instincts that make clanship, tribal belonging more important than merit in our daily discourse. Essentially, we must face the reality that Africa is not a monolith and Africans are not homogeneous. The systems and institutions we build need to recognise and accommodate those realities and the effects – inequality, human rights abuses, oppression of women and minority groups. Reconstructing the socioeconomic and political space so it is safe for everyone to engage, including disagreeing, without fear of reprisals is important.
Conclusion
Redesigning African society in recognition that Africa is neither a monolith nor homogeneous will help build inclusive political power structures. Africa must move away from foreign reliance to resilience; we must build emotionally intelligent citizens able to empathise with all humans, judge by merit not clan identity. Nothing is more important than stopping tribalism because tribalism will stop us all. Tribalism is reaching much deeper into our lives. We see tribalism on the Left and tribalism on the Right — but not in the middle, because it is the nature of tribalism to create an unbridgeable, uninhabitable chasm between Us and Them. The tribalistic mentality sees things in black and white, good and evil. Tribalism transforms disagreement into mutual hatred, mild condescension into utter contempt.
FURTHER READING
Instincts 05: Tribalism – Living More with Less
WHY WE HATE Selects: Tribalism: Us vs. Them | Discovery Education
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