Max Weber, a German sociologist identified three basic ways of assuming leadership positions, or what is popularly known as political legitimacy-legal-rational, traditional and charismatic. In this unit, we are concerned with the traditional form of authority. The legal-rational acquired through established laws and the charismatic authority accepted as a result of the personal qualities and attributes of a leader, are not strictly relevant to pre-colonial African society. What distinguishes traditional authority from the other two is that it has become part of the pristine life of the African people; It is neither learnt, borrowed nor acquired but inherent in the people.
We can therefore define a traditional society in Africa as a territorially or tribally defined community which existed before the intrusion of colonial rule, and led by traditional rulers and chiefs, who constituted traditional political elites. In relation to modern or European societies which are structurally differentiated and complex, traditional societies are not only pre-industrial, simple but also agrarian-based settings. According to Mengisteab (2003) pre-colonial African societies had “a rich tradition of political, economic and social institutions that dealt with allocation of resources, law making and social control. He noted that in some parts of Africa the powers of rulers were restricted through the institutions of council of chiefs, while in others, such as Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) and Rwanda, the rulers were more absolute.
It is a fact that before colonial penetration it is impossible to speak of a single political system in Africa, since there were various systems in different parts of Africa. The differences, perhaps, were due to local adaptations, the structure of power, as well as the size of the polity. In spite of these differences, all the pre-colonial political systems in Africa possessed all the key attributes of a modern political system. David Easton explained that in a political system there must be a set of interactions resulting in the authoritative allocation of values. Evidence exists that in pre-colonial Africa goals were set, human and material resources allocated, and policy and objectives clearly pursued. Also, all the key elements identified in Robert Dahl’s definition of a political system-power, rule and authority- were visible in these societies.
The colonial anthropologists made a primary distinction between a state and stateless societies. But rather than been stateless societies, in pre-colonial Africa, there were nominal appearance of the state structures. We can identity certain features. First, unlike the modern system there were no elaborate legislative, executive, judicial and bureaucratic institutions to maintain law and order, and adjudicate in disputes. Second, the mode of governance was not embodied in a written document while the machinery of government do not intrude into the private realms of individuals and groups. Instead, pre-colonial societies lived by unwritten constitutions, based on customs and conventions. Third, it also incorporated a system of social sanctions and checks and balances which prevented violation of norms by the people and extreme leadership tyranny. The idea of a chief in council is not new to Africa. The Asante in Ghana, for instance, had chiefs elected for specific tasks such as finance and defence (Jordan, 1978).
A major feature of traditional Africa was decentralization of governance and authority. In the “Mind of Africa”, W.E. Abraham insists that African “palaver” by which various opinions are arrived at after long and patient discussions are just as democratic as, if not more democratic, than the counting of heads, and making decisions based on majority votes.
We can therefore define a traditional society in Africa as a territorially or tribally defined community which existed before the intrusion of colonial rule, and led by traditional rulers and chiefs, who constituted traditional political elites. In relation to modern or European societies which are structurally differentiated and complex, traditional societies are not only pre-industrial, simple but also agrarian-based settings. According to Mengisteab (2003) pre-colonial African societies had “a rich tradition of political, economic and social institutions that dealt with allocation of resources, law making and social control. He noted that in some parts of Africa the powers of rulers were restricted through the institutions of council of chiefs, while in others, such as Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) and Rwanda, the rulers were more absolute.
It is a fact that before colonial penetration it is impossible to speak of a single political system in Africa, since there were various systems in different parts of Africa. The differences, perhaps, were due to local adaptations, the structure of power, as well as the size of the polity. In spite of these differences, all the pre-colonial political systems in Africa possessed all the key attributes of a modern political system. David Easton explained that in a political system there must be a set of interactions resulting in the authoritative allocation of values. Evidence exists that in pre-colonial Africa goals were set, human and material resources allocated, and policy and objectives clearly pursued. Also, all the key elements identified in Robert Dahl’s definition of a political system-power, rule and authority- were visible in these societies.
The colonial anthropologists made a primary distinction between a state and stateless societies. But rather than been stateless societies, in pre-colonial Africa, there were nominal appearance of the state structures. We can identity certain features. First, unlike the modern system there were no elaborate legislative, executive, judicial and bureaucratic institutions to maintain law and order, and adjudicate in disputes. Second, the mode of governance was not embodied in a written document while the machinery of government do not intrude into the private realms of individuals and groups. Instead, pre-colonial societies lived by unwritten constitutions, based on customs and conventions. Third, it also incorporated a system of social sanctions and checks and balances which prevented violation of norms by the people and extreme leadership tyranny. The idea of a chief in council is not new to Africa. The Asante in Ghana, for instance, had chiefs elected for specific tasks such as finance and defence (Jordan, 1978).
A major feature of traditional Africa was decentralization of governance and authority. In the “Mind of Africa”, W.E. Abraham insists that African “palaver” by which various opinions are arrived at after long and patient discussions are just as democratic as, if not more democratic, than the counting of heads, and making decisions based on majority votes.
The African form of democracy-“communocracy”, which is based on consensus, is close to what some post-independenc African leaders now call democratic centralism. The idea is that once a decision is taken, no participant in the deliberations, even when he disagrees initially, could openly refuse obligations arising from the decision. Disputes were also settled through consensual system, and narrowing of differences through negotiations, without producing winners and losers. The three fundamental principles of pre-colonial Africa as outlined by Legese (2000) were:
Other characteristics include respect for ancestors, elders, (gerontocracy) rights of individuals, and community norms and laws. Membership of lineage, kinship, and ethnic groups assured numbers of protection of rights of both the strong and weak. In spite of their merits African institutions of governance had some limitations. Participation of women in political institutions are limited, and the systems are too complex to cope with the challenges of modern developmental oriented government.
SELF ASSESSMENT EXERCISE 1
Describe the features of a traditional political system?
- Curbing concentration of power in an institution or person (separation of powers)
- Averting the emergence of a rigid hierarchy (devolution of powers)
- Avoiding the settlement of disputes through adversarial procedures (Alternative dispute resolution)
Other characteristics include respect for ancestors, elders, (gerontocracy) rights of individuals, and community norms and laws. Membership of lineage, kinship, and ethnic groups assured numbers of protection of rights of both the strong and weak. In spite of their merits African institutions of governance had some limitations. Participation of women in political institutions are limited, and the systems are too complex to cope with the challenges of modern developmental oriented government.
SELF ASSESSMENT EXERCISE 1
Describe the features of a traditional political system?
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