Kings

Contemporary Significance

Since the end of the colonial era and the rise of secular nationalist governments throughout Africa, the historic power of African traditional kingships has been seriously curtailed. In some instances, such as in Uganda, the revolutionary nationalist government, on acceding to power, attempted to obliterate the office of kingship for fear that kings presented an opposing political force. Today, Ugandan kingdoms like the Bagandan and Bunyoro have been reinvested with their historic cultural and social legitimacy, yet they exercise no legislative power within the political processes of government. Due to the cultural centrality of kingship throughout most African societies, however, countries such as Ghana, Botswana, and South Africa have included a “House of Chiefs” as an advisory body to parliament to function with consultative power.

There continues to be a debate among certain African intellectuals, political theorists, and leaders about the contemporary relevance of African kingship for the development and forward progress of Africa. Some argue that the institution is antiquated and incompatible with the demands of globalization and technological innovation. Others argue that African kingship is indispensable to the social, cultural, and political maturation of African civilization.

What is apparent is that the institution of kingship in Africa is a pervasive and enduring reality that is deeply embedded in the social fabric and cultural memory of African society. Why has the institution of kingship historically emerged as so fundamental to African social, cultural, and political life? Is the institution of kingship simply about adhering to a system of traditional governance, or are there factors of more philosophical and cosmological importance that need to be considered here?

Considering that Africa produced the first institutions of sacred and divine kingship and the longest, continuous established monarchy in human history in the civilizations of ancient Nubia and Egypt, it is reasonable to assert that kingship emerged concurrently with the evolution of African civilization. A brief survey of kingship in ancient Nubia and Egypt provides insight into the philosophical and cosmological underpinnings of kingship throughout African civilization, as well as demonstrates why kingship in Africa emerged as a sacred and divine institution.

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