Don'ts of a chief in Ghana

The chief in Ghana as far back as the colonial era have been very revered as traditional leaders in our communities.

Because of the power and authority they wield a chief is not expected to be seen behave in one way or the other. Their position comes with a lot of restrictions that probably most of you are not aware of.

YEN.com.gh bring you some strange dont's a chief in Ghana must comply with.

Don’t eat in public: A chief is not allowed to eat in public places like chop bars, restaurants, canteens, etc. for the simple reason that he avoids being poisoned.

Don’t walk barefooted: If a chief is seen walking barefooted in public, he can be destooled. A chief walking barefooted is seen as a disgrace. In fact, when you want to destool a chief, all one needs to do is to remove his slippers publicly.

Can’t laugh out loud: Weird right, but in Ghana, a chief is not permitted to laugh out loud. However, a chief can smile when in a gathering or the public but when something is intensely funny and cracks him up he has to bow his head down and laugh. He must exude some form of bravery all the time and not appear weak in front of his people.

A chief can’t weep or cry in public. Regardless of the occasion or how sad the matter may be, a chief is not allowed to cry. It is interpreted as a sign of weakness.

A chief is also not supposed to greet with his left hand. Traditionally the left hand connotes “dirt” because it is used to clean yourself if one visits the toilet. So as a chief, you’re not allowed to stretch out your left hand to greet people. The only person who is allowed to do that is the “Nsumankwahene” or traditional priest because it is believed he uses his right hand to greet the deity and so can’t use the same for people because it is a sign of disrespect.

Finally, a chief can’t fight in public. Fighting in public is seen as very disrespectful, and a chief is not allowed to indulge in such situations no matter how angry he is.

Source: YEN.com.gh