Gender Considerations in Traditional Endogenous Leadership among the Mankon, Bamendakwe, Ngambe, and Bakweri
By Ngang God’swill N
The question of gender in leadership has often been framed within modern governance structures as a zero-sum negotiation of power, one in which authority is conceived as being transferred from men, who are perceived as having an “abundance,” to women, who are perceived as having “deficits” in representation. Contemporary discourse frequently emphasizes external markers of participation, such as the number of women holding public office, the role of women in decision-making, the education of girls, and women’s representation across institutional platforms.
These emphases are not without value; they profoundly shape community-driven development by influencing women’s and girls’ perceptions of self-worth, relevance, and dignity. However, such an approach risks overlooking the endogenous gender dynamics already embedded within traditional Cameroonian leadership structures. Indeed, gender considerations are not new phenomena within these systems but rather constitutive variables in the governance arrangements of many indigenous kingdoms.
Drawing on research funded by FID (Foundation de l’innovation pour la démocratie), we examined endogenous leadership across the Northwest, Southwest, and Littoral regions of Cameroon, focusing specifically on the Mankon and Bamendakwe kingdoms in the Northwest, the Bakweri in the Southwest, and Ngambe in the Littoral. What emerges from this study is a nuanced portrait of gendered leadership roles that are both distinct and interdependent. While women are not equally represented in the more visible apex offices such as chiefs or fons their institutional presence is nonetheless profound, organized, and indispensable to governance. In these kingdoms, parallel gendered institutions exist. Women serve as advisors to chiefs and fons, lead community development initiatives, nurture intergenerational continuity, and preside over specialized institutions such as queen mothers, female councils of order, and custodians of cultural law.
In Bamendakwe, for example, there is an explicit duality in which almost every male institution is mirrored by a female counterpart. Women’s leadership is not confined to “soft” roles but rather exercises direct authority and influence within distinct but complementary domains. Furthermore, traditional structures have demonstrated remarkable adaptability, as women increasingly assume positions of neighborhood and quarter heads—roles historically reserved for men.
This recognition of women as indispensable to governance aligns with global reflections on inclusive leadership. As former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon observed, “When women who represent half of every society are excluded from the political process, we all suffer. Women’s participation leads to better government.” The presence of women in endogenous institutions sharply contrasts with reductionist portrayals of African traditional governance as uniformly patriarchal and exclusionary.
Our findings suggest that in these kingdoms, leadership and gender are conceptualized as functions of inherent abilities rather than adversarial struggles for dominance. Men predominantly occupy institutions that emphasize strength, charisma, and inspirational leadership qualities long valorized in public mobilization. As Vince Lombardi once remarked, “The mark of a real man is his ability to inspire confidence in others.” By contrast, women often steward institutions requiring intellectual acumen, social strategy, and community cohesion, attributes historically relegated to the background yet central to sustaining governance. This division has contributed to the historical invisibility of women in mainstream leadership narratives, aptly captured by Virginia Woolf’s reflection: “For most of history, Anonymous was a woman.”
Nevertheless, the biological rationales that once underpinned these gendered divisions are increasingly contested in modern contexts. Expanding access to education, global exposure, and socio-economic transformations have enabled women to press for expanded public participation. Communities are, in turn, demonstrating openness to these shifts, incorporating women into more visible governance positions without dismantling the underlying indigenous structures.
Ultimately, the question of gender and leadership in Cameroon should not be reduced to the wholesale adoption of imported models of gender equality and participation. Instead, it requires an endogenous perspective that accounts for what has historically worked, adapts to shifting socio-political realities, and recognizes the complementary roles of men and women in leadership. Such a framework does not negate the need for reform but insists that gender inclusion in leadership must be culturally grounded, historically informed, and socially adaptive to remain both legitimate and effective in community governance.
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