Topic

Authority

Authority in African religions stems from ancestry, initiation, and community roles. How leaders gain legitimacy and maintain hierarchies across traditions.

Nigeria 5 min

Oba, Emir, and Ballot Box: Traditional Authority in Contemporary Nigerian Politics

The convoy stops before the ballot does. In the months before a Nigerian general election, a candidate's motorcade turns off a highway in Ile-Ife, or Sokoto, or a town in Anambra State, and the…

By Fatoumata