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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue
Title:Chieftaincy, diaspora, and development: the institution of Nkosuohene in Ghana
Author:Bob-Milliar, George M.
Year:2009
Periodical:African Affairs: The Journal of the Royal African Society
Volume:108
Issue:433
Pages:541-558
Language:English
Geographic term:Ghana
Subjects:Akan
chieftaincy
titles
African Americans
slavery
External link:https://www.jstor.org/stable/40388419
Abstract:This article is about the institution of the 'Nkcsuohene' (lit. 'development chief') and 'Nkcsuohemaa ('development queen mother') and how it relates to African Americans. The 'Nkcsuo' stool was created in 1985 by the late Asantehene, Otumfuo Opoku Ware II, as a catalyst for development in Kumase and beyond. The phenomenon has spread like wildfire in the Akan territories and beyond, and since the 1990s, hundreds of African American 'returnees' have been honoured with various royal titles, enabling the re-integration of descendants of the Middle Passage. Do African Americans understand the Akan conception of slavery and a person of slave origins? Conversely, is the diasporan concept of slavery understood by Akans? In general, and using the case of the Nkcsuohene/hemaa, this article sets out to show how fluid the chieftaincy institution is in Ghana. Its continuous importance is seen in the development agenda that it has adopted to serve new needs and aspirations. The article makes a case for African Americans to look beyond the Akan regions of Ghana in search of their roots, and argues that such studies can advance understanding of slavery and its legacies in Ghana. The article originates from interviews conducted with ten diasporan Africans resident in Ghana and ten traditional authorities, as well as residents of communities with 'Nkcsuo' stools. Notes, ref., sum. [Journal abstract, edited]
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