Introduction - UNDP The Gambia

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founding family. For example, in the
Manding dynasty, like in all other ethnic
dynasties, the kabilo is an expression of
kinship lineage, with the head of the kabilo
called kabila tio or kabila keeba. Resources
for productive activity are centred on the
kabilo production system.
The core of the kabilo is a patrilineal kin
group, but the kabilo frequently accommodate
temporary residents and permanent
compounds not related to the patrilineage,
based on a history of longstanding patronage
between founders (jatiyolu) and newcomers
(luntangolu).
The ward of the founding patrilineage has a
central position of authority and prestige in
the village. Men and women and other
productive resources are mobilised through
the patrilineal extended family group for
community participation.
The Chieftaincy: The chieftaincy is the
highest traditional political structure in The
Gambia. It was of prime importance during
the colonial era. The chieftaincy was
introduced by the colonial administration,
which improved on the existing social
arrangements of which the village heads were
the highest decision- makers. The structure
can be compared to the Ghanaian House of
Chiefs, the emirate and caliphate in northern
Nigeria.
The chief, as earlier mentioned, is responsible
for a district, which consists of several
villages constituting a constituency. He or she
oversees the administration of such villages,
through the alkaloolu, who are responsible
for the day-to-day administration of their
communities and report back to the chief.
Since the colonial period, the chieftaincy has
played crucial roles in the governance and
administration of communities and has
always been the point of reference for
community development in the rural
areas. The structure is the highest decisionmaking
body at the district level which filters
through alkaloolu in the villages and also
commands respect, power and authority.
Apart from being the point of reference,
chiefs mediate in the implementation of
justice and peace. Their role includes
litigation, arbitration, mediation and conflict
resolution. During the colonial period, these
roles were further enhanced to suit the
colonialist projects. Chiefs were considered to
be intermediaries between the colonial
masters and their subjects. They also form the
hegemony within the community and families
and kin groups refer to them for all family
issues related to the kinship. The missionaries
used the chiefs to achieve their objectives; the
results can be seen throughout the continent.
For instance, in The Gambia, the chiefs were
used to collect hut taxes and levy charges on
the polity. In this way, they were paid salaries
and engaged in wage labour. These new
responsibilities enhanced the status of the
chiefs. They were mandated to appoint court
clerks and konsingbalo 6 (badge messengers),
thus enhancing their status economically and
socially. 7
Council of Elders: Similarly, the Council of
Elders is part of the traditional structure and
constitutes ano ther decision-making body in
the community. The elders are usually drawn
from the heads of the kabilo. In other words,
all the heads of the kabilo (kabila keeba) are
members of the Council of Elders including
the alkalo. They take decisions on the
management of resources within the
community.
The positions of alkaloship and Council of
Elders are highly patrimonial and tend to
take women’s concerns for granted. However,
gender disparity can be an obstacle to the
achievement of The Gambia’s development
goals as stated in the MDGs, Vision 2020 and
SPA II. Table 12 is an indication of the
gender disparity in the structure.
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Building Capacity for the Attainment of the Millennium Development Goals in The Gambia National Human Development Report 2005
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