Philanthropy in Contemporary Africa: A Review

Abstract

Despite the availability of a wide range of literature on what can be construed as philanthropic behavior in Africa, there is limited conceptual discussion on what constitutes philanthropy in African context(s). Yet, philanthropic behavior is a culturally rooted phenomenon manifesting in diverse forms, expressions, and models. This review contributes to a growing body of literature on conceptions and manifestations of African philanthropy. The review illustrates a complex plurality of actions that fall under cultures and practices of giving in Africa. These include the giving of money, time, knowledge, influence, and visibility in support of a cause, valuable goods, and body parts/organs from the living and the dead. While some of these actions conform to dominant Western notions of philanthropy, others do not. From an analysis of these practices, this paper proposes that African philanthropy can be conceptually structured on the basis of spheres of philanthropic practice, and the underlying bases and motivations for philanthropy. On spheres of philanthropic practice, at least three forms of philanthropy exist: institutional (formal); non-institutional (non-formal/informal/direct); and a hybrid form that blends practices from the formal and informal spheres. On motivations for giving, the predominant forms are based on mutuality, solidarity, and counter-obligation inherent in collectivist and humanistic African philosophies of life. Further, motivations are drawn from religious obligations, institutional requirements on corporate bodies, and institutional arrangements in the development process. There are, nonetheless, significant overlaps between spheres of practice and motivations in contemporary philanthropic practices in Africa. For instance, philanthropic culture in Africa manifests as religious giving, donations to individuals or institutions, mutual aid, reciprocity, self-help revolving fund organizations, corporate social responsibility activities, and individual/family donations to public benefit organizations. These practices highlight a rich tapestry of spheres of practice and motivations for giving, where the wealthy and the poor are equally involved. The review concentrates (by choice) on the giving of money and time (volunteering, especially informal volunteering) due to a dearth of academic literature on other forms of giving as philanthropy in Africa.

Advancing the Sustainable Development Goals: An Analysis of the Potential Role of Philanthropy in Ghana

“…African philanthropy therefore contains both endogenous and imported hybrid of norms, ideas and values of philanthropy. Arguing along similar lines, Mati (2016) highlights that conceptually, African philanthropy focuses on spheres of philanthropic practice and underlying motivations for giving. Informed by this, he argues that spheres of philanthropic practices comprise informal, formal and hybrid forms.…”

“…This article is informed by the concept of African philanthropy or gifting (Fowler, 2016; Fowler and Mati, 2019; Mati, 2016; Moyo and Ramsay, 2014). The conceptualisation of philanthropy in this article is informed by African and Western understanding because it contains a mixture of horizontal and vertical features (Fowler and Mati, 2019).…”

Factors determining individuals’ participation in volunteer work: A study of the Cape Coast Metropolis in the Central Region of Ghana

“…This finding by CICICUS (2011) is consistent with other studies in Africa that show low levels of African citizen's participation in voluntary activities. Even though heterogeneous cultures exist across Africa countries, these patterns of volunteering have been found to be quite similar (Mati, 2016).…”

“…It helps to create a stable and cohesive society by bringing people together to act for the good of the community. According to De Clerck et al (2019) and Mati (2016), voluntary action builds social capital that adds value to the services that governments provide.…”

Civil Society and the Pluralization of African Philanthropy: A Case of Back to the Future?

“…Within this frame, gifting’s modalities have influenced the evolution of endogenous civil society. Its roles played out, inter alia, in establishing precolonial social structures, in adapting to and resisting colonial exploitation, and by contributing to postcolonial periods of single and multiparty dispensations (Mati, 2016). These long historical processes overlay their predecessors, resulting in gift exchanges fulfilling complex purposes in sociopolitical life.…”