Spiritual and Physical Legitimacy in Contemporary African Kingship: An Auto-Ethnographic Case by Master Dennis Eyiram Segbene Xenodzi

Spiritual and Physical Legitimacy in Contemporary African Kingship: An Auto-Ethnographic Case

By:
Master Dennis Eyiram Segbene Xenodzi

Contextual Introduction

African kingship has historically been understood as deriving legitimacy from both metaphysical and material sources. Anthropological and religious studies literature demonstrates that many African rulers are believed, within their societies, to be divinely selected, spiritually prepared, or ancestrally designated prior to public installation (Mbiti, 1991; Fortes & Evans-Pritchard, 1940). This section presents an auto-ethnographic case study illustrating the coexistence of spiritual and physical legitimacy in contemporary Ghanaian kingship, framed strictly as documented belief, testimony, and cultural interpretation, rather than empirical verification.

Reported Spiritual Installation: The Off-Chain Throne (2002)

According to the self-reported testimony of King Xenodzi, his first installation as king occurred in 2002 during a spiritual experience associated with a meeting with Rabbi Yitzhak Kaduri, a widely known Jewish mystic. The experience is described within the subject’s theological worldview as a transcendent encounter situated beyond physical space and measurement.

Within this narrative, the subject understands himself to have been spiritually enstooled by Sato, identified in his belief system as Aravate Yehweh, the God of Heaven. This installation is interpreted by the subject as conferring authority over what he conceptualizes as the Off-Chain Throne, a non-territorial, metaphysical domain associated with spiritual governance, stewardship, and moral authority.

From an academic standpoint, this experience is categorized as charismatic-spiritual legitimation, consistent with Weber’s theory of charismatic authority (Weber, 1978), and comparable to African traditions in which kingship is believed to originate in divine or ancestral election prior to formal installation.

Physical Installation under Ghanaian Customary Law (2020)

The second installation occurred through formal customary procedures within the Ghanaian chieftaincy system. In 2020, the subject was physically enstooled at Klikor by His Royal Majesty Fiaga Addo VIII, assuming the stool name Torgbi Xenodzi Dogbey II, and was formally recognized as Dufia of Worgbato-Klikor.

This installation followed established Ewe customary law, including ritual validation, ancestral invocation, and community acknowledgment. Unlike the earlier spiritual experience, this installation conferred juridical, territorial, and customary authority, integrating the subject fully into Ghana’s constitutionally recognized chieftaincy framework (Republic of Ghana, 1992).

Dual Legitimacy in African Political Thought

African political philosophy does not treat spiritual legitimacy and physical installation as mutually exclusive. Rather, kingship is understood as complete only when metaphysical authority is publicly affirmed through customary rites (Mbiti, 1991). The case presented here illustrates this dual legitimacy: a spiritually interpreted calling later ratified through formal enstoolment.

Such duality reinforces the broader argument of this thesis that chieftaincy in Ghana is fundamentally kingship in substance, regardless of colonial nomenclature.

Analytical Significance

This case contributes to African Studies scholarship by demonstrating how contemporary kingship continues to operate simultaneously within spiritual belief systems and constitutional structures. It further supports the thesis position that the term “chief” inadequately captures the ontological and political reality of traditional authority in Ghana.

Methodological and Academic Limitations

This section does not seek to empirically validate spiritual experiences. It documents them as self-reported belief narratives, analyzed within established frameworks of anthropology, religious studies, and political sociology. Such inclusion aligns with accepted auto-ethnographic and interpretive methodologies within African Studies.

APPENDIX C

Auto-Ethnographic Testimony on Dual Installation of King Xenodzi

C.1 Purpose of Inclusion

This appendix preserves a first-person traditional and spiritual narrative relevant to the study of kingship legitimacy, without asserting empirical verification. Its placement as an appendix aligns with best practices for doctoral examination.

C.2 Summary of Testimony

2002: Spiritual experience interpreted by the subject as divine enstoolment as King of the Off-Chain Throne, associated with theological instruction and spiritual governance.

2020: Formal physical enstoolment at Klikor as Torgbi Xenodzi Dogbey II, Dufia of Worgbato-Klikor, under Ewe customary law.

C.3 Academic Relevance

The testimony illustrates how African kingship remains a layered institution incorporating belief, ritual, law, and governance.

REFERENCES (ADD TO THESIS)

Fortes, M., & Evans-Pritchard, E. E. (1940). African Political Systems. Oxford University Press.

Mbiti, J. S. (1991). Introduction to African Religion (2nd ed.). Heinemann.

Republic of Ghana. (1992). The Constitution of the Republic of Ghana. Accra: Ghana Publishing Corporation.

Weber, M. (1978). Economy and Society. University of California Press.