África: Revista do Centro de Estudos Africanos. USP , S. Paulo, 22-23: 173-190, 1999/2000/2001. 173 (*) Kobe University, Japan. (1) The concept of civil society is far from fixed and clear definition, so it has to be used reflectively. This article treats this concept in minimal sense as “Politicised society”. So civil society doesn’t have automatically democratic character, nor will of democratisation. So we think that it is necessary to institutionalise civil society in the level of state institution and psychological level of people. ROLE OLE OLE OLE OLE OF OF OF OF OF HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN RIGHTS RIGHTS RIGHTS RIGHTS RIGHTS M O V EM EN T M O V EM EN T M O V EM EN T M O V EM EN T M O V EM EN T DURING DURING DURING DURING DURING THE THE THE THE THE D EM O C RA D EM O C RA D EM O C RA D EM O C RA DEMOCRATIC TIC TIC TIC TIC PRO C ES PRO C ES PRO C ES PRO C ES PRO C ESS IN IN IN IN IN T OGO OGO OGO OGO OGO Takuo IWATA* ABSTRACT: 10 years ago, we began to speak the democratic transition in Africa. But after certain years, the African countries fell again in the authoritative regime. We analyze the democratic transition in Togo on the movement of human rights that directed the civil society. Discussions of the civil society in the African political studies missed the empiric discussion of the political stage. We think the relation between the civil society and de- mocratization in the concrete analysis. We focalized the change of engagements of the human rights organization in the setting of democratization. At the end, we will think the role and the problematic of the civil society in the democratic process in Africa. Keywords: Democratic Transition; Human Rights; Civil Society; Togo 1 I I I I I NTRODUCTION NTRODUCTION NTRODUCTION NTRODUCTION NTRODUCTION The political scientists have become used to paying attention to other political actors besides that of the state in African political studies, through the political change to a multi-party system in the 1990’s. The concept of civil soci- ety 1 has not only been recognized as an analytical approach, but also been spread over the context of development. However, this concept is a subject in itself to