The following is only the first portion of an article found at this URL:
    http://www.allafrica.com/stories/200705070333.html
by Biko Agozino

THE recent elections in Africa with a few exceptions confound political analysts and lay people alike in terms of why they are so chaotic compared to some elections in other parts of the world that appear more orderly. I believe that the explanation lies in what is known as African Fractals. Briefly, this is the finding that Africans prefer to design their social institutions and social relations in fractal patterns rather than the linear patterns which are preferred by Europeans.