Queen mothers (Africa)

Queen mothers (also Queenmothers) are leaders and women of power in West Africa. There is no "one size fits all" description of a queen mother. However, generally, queen mothers play an important role in local government and "wield social power and influence." The amount of power they currently hold has been diminished since pre-colonial times. Queen mothers are an important part of the Akan tradition which is based on matrilineal descent. They are also found in the Ashanti Kingdom which is part of the Akan ethnic group. In areas of Ghana where the Akan culture is prominent, each town has a chief and a queen mother who rule alongside the modern political system. Queen mothers have also been recorded in the tradition of the Pabir in north Nigeria, as part of the Benin culture, and in the Krobo area. In other parts of Africa, such as in Uganda, the term queen mother is also used to describe women in power. Today queen mothers are seeing a resurgence in power and influence in Africa.

During the pre-colonial days, West Africa was "organized around the authority of chiefs/kings/queen mothers." Queen mothers were once considered important political figures of power who commanded respect in the Cape Coast area prior to the colonial era. Akan queen mothers were considered autonomous rulers. Among the Akan, there are male and female "counterparts" in all aspects of the political hierarchy. Queen mothers had all jurisdiction over women and any issue that involved both men and women, such as rape, adultery and marital conflict.

Colonists coming to Africa from Europe, negotiated only with the men and the power of the queen Mothers was diminished. In addition, queen mothers in West Africa were not recognized as important and were often referred to in historical documents as "sisters" of the men in power by missionaries and colonists. Queen mothers, along with other women in Africa under the colonial rule, lost "social, religious, constitutional, and political privileges and rights."

Post-colonial governments "continued with policies that undermined women's traditional authority." Women's absence in politics, especially traditional institutions has created an unequal distribution of power and resulted in women's "concerns and rights not being adequately addressed."

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