The long-standing debate about the proper role for Africa's traditional leaders in contemporary politics has intensified in the last two decades, as efforts to foster democratisation and decentralisation have brought competing claims to power and legitimacy to the fore, especially at the local level. Questions persist as to whether traditional authority and democra...

African traditional authorities have proved to be highly resilient, remaining just as much a part of the ‘modern’ political landscape as any legislature or local council. Analysts draw sharply different conclusions as to whether this resilience is rooted in popular legitimacy, or whether it instead derives from either state sanction or state weakness. In short, the...