Chieftaincy, diaspora, and development: The institution of Nk⊃suohene in Ghana

Abstract

This article is about the institution of the Nk⊃suohene/hemaa and how it relates to African Americans. The Nk⊃suo stool was created in 1985 by the late Asantehene, Otumfuo Opoku Ware II, as a catalyst for development in Kumase and beyond. Since the 1990s, hundreds of African Americans and some white Westerners have been honoured with various royal titles. Do African Americans understand the Akan conception of slavery and a person of slave origins? Conversely, is the diasporan concept of slavery understood by Akans? In general, and using the case of the Nk⊃suohene/hemaa, this article sets out to show how fluid the chieftaincy institution is in Ghana. Its continuous importance is seen in the development agenda that it has adopted to serve new needs and aspirations. The article makes a case for African Americans to look beyond the Akan regions of Ghana in search of their roots, and argues that such studies can advance understanding of slavery and its legacies in Ghana. © The Author [2009]. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal African Society. All rights reserved.