Chieftaincy: A Personal Encounter

Growing up in Ghana, I learned and observed the process of selecting and installing a chief. Because of the significance of the chieftaincy institution, the process for the selection and installation of chiefs is very elaborate. Chiefs occupy an enviable position in the traditional setting. The 1992 Constitution, Article 277, defines a chief as “a person who, hailing from the appropriate family and lineage, has been validly nominated, elected, or selected and enstooled, enskinned, or installed as a chief or queen mother in accordance with the relevant law and usage.”[1] Chiefs perform numerous functions in Ghanaian societies. Among them are: control of land, leading developmental projects, settling disputes, making and enforcing laws, etc.[2]

Selection and installation process

While the queen mother is responsible for nominating a chief among the Akan, the selection by the Gã is solely the responsibility of the kingmakers, who select the candidate from the royal family. The Gã chief is selected rotationally from one of the three royal houses. The installation has two aspects: the enstoolment and the inauguration ceremony.[3] It is through the enstoolment process that the gods and ancestors are informed and their support is solicited for the new chief. This ceremony takes place at the royal palace. As part of the process, the new chief is introduced to the stool room to enable him to pick up a stool name. Before the selection of the stool name, the royal palace must be purified by the priest. Prayers are also solicited through the pouring of libation. This ceremony is done at dawn, and the stool room must be without light before the selection of the stool name is done.[4] The inauguration, which is a public ceremony, is when the new chief is introduced to his people.

The unique story of Abokobi

During our sojourn at Abokobi, I learned about a unique chieftaincy system. Although it is a mostly Gã settlement, the chieftaincy system is different from the process described above. While the selection of a chief in every Gã community is done by the royal family, the idea of selecting a chief from a royal house does not exist in Abokobi.[5] Rather, the selection has been the reserve of the church. The Abokobi chief does not have a stool room for a new chief to select a name, as is practiced in almost every part of Ghana. While the Presbyterian Church and its leadership play a crucial role in the selection and installation process, the traditional priest and the gods are not involved. According to Rev. Agyei Sowah, libation is not allowed during the process. Hence, there is no room for a traditional priest; rather, the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (formerly Basel Mission) is involved.[6] There is no blood sharing in the process since cleansing and purification have no place in this ceremony. The selection and installation processes are therefore done entirely by the church. In addition, the practice of having queen mothers as part of the traditional authorities in Ghana has no place in the Abokobi chieftaincy system. As a result, the Abokobi chieftaincy is without a queen mother.

Learning about chieftaincy in Abokobi from the Reverend Samuel Agyei Sowah, 19 January, 2024 .
Learning about chieftaincy in Abokobi from the Reverend Samuel Agyei Sowah, 19 January, 2024 (my own photograph).

Conclusion  

Before the excursion, I had the view and publicly declared that I would never accept the position of chief, even if I were eligible. I held this view because I oppose some practices associated with chieftaincy in Ghana, such as pouring libation and serving the gods, as they are inconsistent with my Christian faith. In fact, any Christian seen in this regard could at best be considered to be engaging in syncretism. I completely changed my mind after the excursion to Abokobi, as almost every aspect that I disliked had no place in Abokobi. Even more, the Abokobi chieftaincy system has changed my position regarding the chieftaincy practice in general. However, despite my appreciation of the Abokobi chieftaincy system, the absence of a queen mother’s office needs to be revisited. The role of a queen mother is a crucial one and gives credence to gender equity and empowerment. Among the Akan, for example, the queen mother selects the candidate or the new chief once the position becomes vacant; she is responsible for the welfare of children and women. Queen mothers preserve genealogical knowledge and preside over cases brought to their courts. To encourage young girls to take up leadership positions and ensure gender equity, authorities in charge of the Abokobi chieftaincy system must, as a matter of urgency, create space for the office of a queen mother in its chieftaincy architecture.

I will end by thanking the sponsors of this project, and say a big thank you to Prof. Julia Tischler and Dr.. E.S. Sewordor for this laudable project. The knowledge gained from this project is not limited to research, but the cultural exchanges and sharing of personal experiences such as mine is much appreciated.

Portrait Cerdick Ofori Antoh
About the author:Cerdick Ofori Antoh

I am a PhD Year 2 History student at the University of Ghana, Accra, and a Lecturer with the Department of History and Political Science, SDD University of Business and Integrated Development Studies, Wa. I am interested in the educational history of Ghana. As a result, his MPhil thesis was on the History of Second Cycle Examination in Ghana. Mr. Antoh is currently developing an interest in church history and intend to research into Basel mission activities and Wars on the Gold Coast. He also teaches undergraduate students the following courses, DPS 105: Introduction to African History, DPS 106: Political History of Ghana, 1800-1960, DPS 318: Economic and Social History of West Africa, etc. As an early- career member of the Department of History and Political Science at SDD-UBIDS, Wa, I was part of the department committee in charge of undergraduate programme development.