In this deeply philosophical and thought-provoking episode, we sit down with Dr. Jare Oladosu, political theorist and author of the paper “Designing Viable Republican Constitutions”, to interrogate a powerful question: Are all African men truly created equal?

Drawing from Jeffersonian philosophy, pre-colonial African political traditions, and post-colonial state formation, this conversation unpacks the troubling parallels between today's African governance structures and what Jefferson once called “a government of wolves over sheep.” Dr. Oladosu explores how the Kabiyesi culture—where leaders are beyond reproach—has crept from traditional institutions into the very fabric of our modern "democracies."

Together, we examine whether Africa ever had truly republican institutions that upheld the principle of equality and citizen sovereignty, and how colonialism disrupted those indigenous systems, replacing participatory governance with autocratic structures reinforced by state capture and elite dominance.

We ask:

• Why do so many African democracies function as veiled monarchies?
• Can African culture, steeped in reverence for kings and chiefs, be reconciled with republican ideals?
• What philosophical shifts are needed to revive institutions that see leadership as a trust held in service of the people?