for an African perspective of democracy (if it matters at all), see this article about the absolute monarchy ruling Swaziland, a tiny country the size of Lake Michigan with maybe 2 million "citizens", most of whom work illegally in South Africa:
King says democracy 'not right' for Swaziland
I guess if you keep your head in the sand all the time, the worms will start to eat your brains. Only problem is, the world passes you by and your country's problems get ignored by the world. This is especially true for Africa now.
Regards
LeRoux