Tribal Society on the Gold Coast of West Africa - Assignment Example

Answers Answer Ashanti is a tribal society on the Gold Coast of West Africa which is presently known as Ghana. They were one of the most powerful warriors who resided in the vicinity of forest which was rich in gold and other minerals. Ashanti society is basically matrilineal in essence and believes that the blood is transferred through the mother and the spirit through the semens of the father. Ashanti Society is headed by a Chief who is responsible for a peaceful and unified co existence of various Ashanti tribal groups. ‘Golden Stool’ is a symbol of power and passed on to the tribal chief. It is supposed to possess national soul and thus is sacred. As per the major postulates defined by the society, Gods and the ancestral spirits control the universe and all major contraventions of the will of the ancestors or the gods are the sins (David Luca1). It is therefore not surprising that Ashanti society is very traditional and conforms rigidly to their socio- legal norms as set by their ancestors. Elders and ancestors have very important place in Ashanti Society. All the inter-tribal disputes are solved by the elders and judgement accepted by the plaintiffs for the fear that if they do not accept then they will be punished by the spirits of their ancestors. They have a very strong social bonds and sense of extended family. They follow the tradition of arranged marriages and polygamy is looked upon as a generosity to support a large numbers of people. In the society, the women are very highly regarded. They are the final arbitrator in all decisions and their judgements are never challenged. ‘Wars have been started because a Queen Mother said the war should be fought although the men and the chief would have been satisfied with a lesser punishment for the offending state’ (internet). Except for taking active part in wars and fighting, Ashanti women enjoy equal right with their counterparts. The community is highly sensitive to social obligations and occasion like funeral are expected to be attended by everybody. For the Ashanti people, murder, which includes sexual intercourse with pregnant woman and intercourse with a pre pubescent girl, is the most heinous crime and suicide is considered as a capital punishment. The resulting punishments were often gruesome. When a person commits suicide when he has done some wrong, his dead body is meted out the punishment and all his worldly goods forfeited by the society. Abusive language used against the chief is also punishable by death. Contrary to Ashanti society, American Society is much more liberal and egalitarian in nature. The social norms are guided through religious and legal format. Marriage is a personal choice and all offences are tried under the legal system of the government. Sexual offences are not treated at par with that of murder. The advanced and so called modern society of America with its well defined socio-legal system is markedly different from the primitive Ashanti Society of Ghana. Answer 2 As per the committee report people in 2007, one of the major difficulty facing the Ashanti Society is the government corruption especially where drug trafficking is concerned. Ghana has become a major trans-shipment point for illegal drugs, particularly cocaine from South America, as well as heroin from Southeast and Southwest Asia. Europe remains the major destination, but drugs also flow to South Africa and to North America (internet). Growing foreign investment has provided a legitimate front for the drug mafia to strengthen their network and subsequently expand their nefarious activities with the help of corrupt officials. The year 2006 has witnessed a series of cocaine scandals and the case of M V Benjamin, where senior police official had asked for $200,000 to release the criminal involved, has brought the matter to the crux. Serious efforts are being made by the government to overcome drug trafficking. Series of steps that include capital punishment for the guilty and the corrupt official and sustained awareness campaign in schools, against the use of drugs, has been taken up with the help of NGOs and other foreign voluntary agencies. Anthropology is the study of human behaviour and genetics through the changing times. Judicious application of anthropology that relates the ill effects of drugs with human behaviour and genetics, in the awareness campaigns run in schools, would go a long way in making people avoid it. I would like the Ashanti society to become educated facilitating easy access to education for all, including adult literacy programs. Education gives a wider scope of understanding the various socio political perspectives of the issues thus empowering them to make decisions which are backed by solid reasoning. Answer 3 The article that appeared in the New York daily News (Nairobi, Kenya), regarding the female circumcision, has brought out an issue from the confines of religion to the forefront of the public domain. As per the article, in the parliament of Kenya, the Attorney General had flayed the female circumcision as a barbaric act which should not be practiced in a civilized society. Subsequently, the Moslems forum defended the act as their cultural and religious ritual and their avowal to continue with it. Female circumcision is the process of mutilating sexual organs of pre pubescent girls through painful surgery conducted without anesthesia so that they do not derive pleasure from the sexual intercourse and become promiscuous. The practice is prevalent in certain Moslem tribes, especially in South Africa, Middle East and Far East. I am against any act that defies the norms of common codes of human social behaviour. The said act is a clear case of treating women as second class citizen and thus denying them their right as individuals. The female mutilation of genitals is a social custom followed through the ages in the patriarchal society of the Moslems. It is not a religious practice. In fact, Quran promotes mutual enjoyment of sexual act between husband and wife. "It is lawful for you to go in unto your wives during the night preceding the (days) fast: they are as a garment for you and you are as a garment for them." (2:187) and "...and He has put love and mercy between you." (30:21), both the postulates from the Quran, demonstrate that the barbaric act of circumcision is propagated by the zealot Moslems who wanted to subjugate women in the most abominable manner possible. The act is against basic human dignity and as such the practice needs to be abolished. References 11 July 2007. Female Genital Mutilation. 11 July 2007. Ghana 2007 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report. 21/03/2007. THE ASHANTI LEGAL SYSTEM. 11 July 2007. Read More