The Asantehemaa is the queen mother according to West African custom, who rules the Asante people alongside the Asantehene. African queen mothers generally play an important role in local government; they exercise both political and social power. Their power and influence have declined considerably since pre-colonial times,[1] but still persist in the 21st century .
They have an important role in the Akan tradition which is based on matrilineal descent.[2] In areas of Ghana where Akan culture is predominant, each town has a chief and a queen mother who rule alongside the modern political system.[3]
The Asantehemaa is linked to the traditional Akan system succession of patrilineal and matrilineal alternation . She may not necessarily be the mother of the heir or the king in office. The Asantehemaa have symbols dedicated to their authority and the most significant is a throne carved and decorated with gold. Although there are also queen mothers within the chiefdoms and states internal to the Ashanti state, the title of Asantehemaa is only given to the queen mother designated to rule alongside the Asantehene. This forms a pyramidal political model whose two supreme functions are those of the king and the queen mother.[4]
The Asantehemaa is chosen by the Asantehene in the royal lineage, among the oldest women. It is therefore not systematically the king's mother or an heir.[4] She is considered the royal genealogist and is responsible for determining the legitimacy of members of the royal lineage.[5] The functions of the king and the queen mother are complementary. The Asantehene is the public leader, guided by the advice of the Asantehemaa. She also takes care of domestic policy issues, such as the well-being of women and children or the management of conflicts between communities and chiefdoms. In addition, she holds a session with elders and linguists twice a week at the Kumasi Palace to resolve spiritual or cultural conflicts. Traditionally, the role of the Asantehemaa is to preserve Ashanti customs, rituals and identity
^Steegstra, Marijke (2009). "Krobo Queen Mothers: Gender, Power, and Contemporary Female Traditional Authority in Ghana". Africa Today. 55 (3): 105–23. doi:10.2979/AFT.2009.55.3.104. JSTOR 27666987. S2CID 144316421.
^"Ghana: Information on the "Queen Mother" Tradition among the Kwahu People of Ghana". Resource Information Center. 18 October 1999.
^Obeng, Samuel; Stoelje, Beverly J. (2002). "Women's Voices in Akan Juridical Discourse". Africa Today. 49 (1): 21–41. doi:10.2979/AFT.2002.49.1.20. JSTOR 4187478. S2CID 145539094.
^ abStoeltje, B. (2021). Asante Queen Mothers in Ghana. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African History. doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780190277734.013.796. ISBN 978-0-19-027773-4.
^Aidoo, Agnes Akosua (1977). "Asante Queen Mothers in Government and Politics in the Nineteenth Century". Journal of the Historical Society of Nigeria. 9 (1): 1–13. JSTOR 41857049. S2CID 153922500.
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