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 local councils,
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. |
