Queen mother (Africa)
[5] The amount of power queen mothers currently hold has been diminished since pre-colonial times,[6] though the 21st century has seen their influence grow in certain contexts.
Queen mothers were once important political figures who commanded respect prior to the colonial era.
[7] However, the delegation of roles to these figures varied: in some instances, they were considered to be autonomous rulers,[8] in others, they had specific jurisdiction over "women's" issues (or issues that involved both men and women together, such as rape, adultery and marital conflict),[1] in others still, they were simply the literal mothers of prominent figures, and afforded all the status therein.
Queen mothers in Africa, essentially, were not recognized as important and were often referred to in colonial/missionary historical documents as "sisters" of the men in power.
"[9] Post-colonial governments "continued with policies that undermined women's traditional authority":[6] In 1957, as an example, Ghana's independence leaders did not include queen mothers in their affairs, choosing instead to only work with the male chiefs.
[10] In 2014, the Ghanaian Chieftaincy Minister, Henry Seidu Danaa, declared that queen mothers' participation in the House of Chiefs was constitutional.
[16] The title of queen mother is an English compound word used to collectively describe women in traditional African leadership roles.
[21] The classical queen mothers of Benin, each known as an Iyoba, had a great deal of power and were venerated as the protectors of the kings.
This titleholder served as a powerful figure during the reign of either her son or - as was the case with Queen Ririkumutima - her stepson.
Traditionally, this titleholder had religious appeals, served as a counsel to the king, or Ahosu of Dahomey, and pleaded before him in capital cases.
In ancient Egypt, one of history's most important nations, the principal consort of the king - or Pharaoh of Egypt - was known as the Great Royal Wife; she presided over her husband's harem, served a variety of priestly functions in the kingdom, and was even sometimes an heir to the throne in her own right due to her hereditary background.
[22] In the Kingdom of Kush, an ancient state that was located in what is today the Sudan, a queen mother was known as a Kandake.
She ruled alongside her son the king, or Qore of Kush, and joined him in serving a variety of priestly functions in his kingdom.
One of the most powerful holders of the title, Empress Kassi, was a partisan in a plot to overthrow her ex-husband Mansa Sulayman following their divorce.
[1] The Pabir queen mother's role is ceremonial, and her "true power lies in her ability to foment opposition against the king.
Although most of the day-to-day functions of administration are performed by the ingwenyama, the ndlovukati is spiritually prominent due to her officiating during the annual Reed Dance rite.
She serves as an advisor to her son the chief, or Kgosi, and is generally held in high esteem by the members of the tribe that he rules.
Usually holders of the principal title Iyalode, these figures oversee women's affairs in the various kingdoms and represent their gender in the privy councils of the kings.
[25] In order to raise awareness of their role in Africa, four queen mothers from Ghana toured the United States.
[22] Studies of the association's work in the Manya Krobo District found that it was a good model of how to address the issue of orphans in West Africa, though it did have some limitations.
[6] In addition, the MKQMA, under the leadership of Manye Esther, has developed HIV/AIDS prevention programs and helped support more than 400 orphans.
