The Roles of a Queenmother

The last time we went to Ghana’s Most Beautiful (a poplular TV show in Ghana that I have already written about earlier), the topic was the roles of the queenmothers in their community today. The contestants had to act as if they were the queenmother of their region and explain what role they were playing there.

It seemed to me that the role of a queenmother pretty much represents the role of a woman in today’s community. The point is that she can show and teach her people how a woman is supposed to behave, mostly as an adviser of the men (and the chief), as she represents the women’s side in all discussions. The women’s role is reflected in her behavior also, when she sits down by the left hand side of the chief so that he can protect her. It’s also her job to empower her women by ensuring their education (which is supposed to be a right and not a privilege and in which the parents have a great responsibility, too) for example by providing scholarships that will make it possible for them to be successful in their own business, while she also encourages them to believe in themselves and ‘make an impact on somebody’s life’. Girl child education seems to be a problem though concerning several regions, since traditionally a lot of girls dropped out of school so that they could help their mothers at the markets. Besides the queenmother is to be a royal mother to all of her people who takes care of good food, and health issues as well, for example by organizing cleaning projects, or by educating people about how to maintain good health. She is also the one who deals with marital problems – in this regard she plays the role of a psychologist of the European world by trying to find solutions for disputes between wife and husband.

Besides all these she deals with several current issues of her region. In lots of cases hospitality, taking care of touristic attraction and preserving culture is a very important point that she keeps in mind. One of her most important tasks is connected with the annual festivals of the region which is based on traditions and also an important opportunity to keep in touch with the people of the region. In the Upper West Region for example the queenmother considers herself to be the ‘ears and the eyes of the chief’ who is able to communicate the people’s problems to him.

She is also the one who can deal with such current issues as reducing the cost of funerals, which are way too expensive at the moment (e.g. Ashanti Region), arranging water storage for dry season farming, improving the safety of the rivers or getting involved in such projects as packing salt more attractively in order to get more business out of it (e.g. Greater Accra Region). She can work on water projects in order to provide good drinking water (e.g. Upper West and Bong-Ahafo Region), as well as she can fight against women violation (e.g. Upper East and Upper West Region) and teenage pregnancy by health and sex education (e.g. Brong-Ahafo Region)

Obviously the queenmother doesn’t work on all these projects just by herself, but together with different nongovernmental organizations and foundations. By fulfilling all these roles she doesn’t only help her community, but also greatly represent the women’s role in this developing country: which is to support the men with advises representing the women’s side, while also ‘believe in herself’ and ‘make an impact on other’s life’ by getting involved in all important issues that she is capable of helping with – but still remaining a sensitive and submissive WOMAN in the meanwhile of all these.