Democracy 2024: A Fragile State, By Lola Shoneyin [Video]

“More than half the global population is potentially voting in elections this year. Some of these polls will be rightly celebrated as evidence of people’s power, others will be fraught and more an exercise in window dressing than an expression of free will. In some cases, the vote may usher in or reinforce the power of a leader whose commitment to democracy is itself under question,” writes Roula Khalaf, editor of the Financial Times, in an article titled, ‘A Testing Year for Democracy,’ published on January 17.

“Democracy as an idea remains the most powerful of aspirations, but the health of many democracies is increasingly challenged,” she further notes.

To share their perspectives on democracy and its relevance, fragility and value and to explore the most important issues of our time and engage audiences in new ways, FT award-winning filmmaker, Juliet Riddell, commissioned world-renowned artists, including Nigerian poet and author, Lola Shoneyin.

Others include, authors Margaret Atwood, Elif Shafak, and comedian Aditi Mittal.

Lola Shoneyin performs her poem about how coups and military dictatorships in Africa have been able to overthrow democracy with a single gunshot. Dancers are accompanied by an original score from world-famous musician Made Kuti, the grandson of Fela Kuti.