There is an intrinsic relationship between today's African politics and its traditions, the continent's leadership is evidence enough to support this assertion. During the time of our ancestors, people used to fight for leadership. There used to be bloodshed and mass deaths prior to one getting the Kingship seat. Once in that seat the King would be a dictator, most of the times, only his words held water and he chose to do whatever he liked with those who went against his will. It is important to note that these Kings had Queens at their right hand, the Queen mother had some important roles to play in the society. Though she did not have the amount of power the King had, she still had power.
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| King Lobengula, the Ndebele King |
Coming back to the contemporary African context, there are Kings and Queens, who still operate the way the traditional ones did though slightly different. The difference is that nowadays the Kings are chosen in a modern Western like way, they are elected through voting but the element of Africanism is still present in this voting. After they have been politically voted into power, these Kings assume traditional power, which I think is not a bad thing as it is a sign that our traditions still exists.
............to be continued in the next post
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King Mutato
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