Introduction:
The Gambian chief of a village is called the
Alkalo. He is usually
the oldest male of the founding family of the
village. He would then be followed by an assistant
who is normally a close relation to assist him in the
administration of village affairs. One of the central
areas of the village is called the
Bantaba where men would
sit to make important decisions concerning things
like communal works.
Every village family belongs to a lineage clan
which is called in Mandinka a a Kabillo. The
head of the clan is the oldest male of the related
families and is also known as the Kabillo. The eldest
male of the founding family of the village becomes
the village leader or Alkalo. The Kabillo are
responsible to the Alkalo and together with the head
of the local mosque, the Imam, form a so called
Council of Elders which has the function of being the
village’s governing body working alongside the
Alkalo. The alkalo’s duties and responsibilities
include tax collection, liaison between the village
and governmental and non-governmental organisations
and land allocation as well as mediation of disputes
at village level.
The Kafoo is a general term for a social group of
people with common interests, local objectives or
professions in the community that can be single or
mixed sex. In most Gambian communities and in a
variety of ways these both provide a dynamic network
of kinship and social organisation in which gender,
generation and descent intersect to shape patterns of
development in the traditional/rural communities.
Since colonial times the highest traditional
political structure in The Gambia operating at
district level has been the Chieftaincy. The Chief
commands respect, power and authority over Alkalos in
his district. Apart from being the point of contact
for national and local government, the Chief mediates
disputes.
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