The Uzama Elders

About the interview
Chieftaincy Titles

In this video Amowie I. Imasuen speaks about the Uzama chiefs as elders on the Benin land, who are not chiefs of the Ọba. He states the roles and responsibilities of the Uzama in ensuring the preservation and continuity of the kingship succession. Imasuen describes their revered position in the politics of Benin kingdom since they were very significant in the coronation of the heir apparent. He states that the Uzama had for some religious reasons played a role in the outbreak of the Benin-Idah war during the reign of Ọba Esigie.

About the contributors

Referenced in this interview

Sensitive Content

Digital Benin collates digital material from institutions, and some of this material is inherently colonial and contains words, terms and phrases that are inaccurate, derogatory and harmful towards African and African diasporic communities. Catalogue transcriptions, book titles, exhibition titles and museum titles may contain harmful terms. We recognise the potential for the material to cause physical and mental distress as well as evoke strong emotions. Owing to the scale of the collection’s data, a process to implement sensitive-content warnings in the displayed data is still incomplete. The material within the catalogue does not represent Digital Benin’s views. Digital Benin maintains a strong anti-colonial, anti-racist position and affirms its support for centring the humanity of historically marginalised and disenfranchised communities. Read more about the background of this statement here