Identify any six roles of traditional rulers in the pre-colonial West Africa.

Answer Details

In pre-colonial West Africa, traditional rulers performed a wide range of roles in the governance of their societies. Six of these roles are outlined below.

1. Political/administrative head: The ruler was the head of the community and directed its administration with the aid of a council of chiefs and elders.
2. Chief judge: He settled disputes, interpreted and enforced customary law, and punished offenders as the highest judicial authority.
3. Religious/spiritual leader: As a sacred figure, he served as the intermediary between the people and the gods or ancestors and presided over religious festivals and rituals.
4. Military commander: He organised and commanded the community's warriors to defend the people and, where necessary, to expand the territory.
5. Custodian of land and economic resources: He held communal land in trust, allocated farmland, and controlled markets, tolls and tributes.
6. Law-maker and custodian of customs: Working with his council, he made rules for the community and preserved its customs, values and traditions.

He also served as the symbol of unity and the representative of his people in relations with neighbouring communities.