The Customary Law and the Traditional Leadership Power in Angola—Their Effects on Territorial Planning Issues
Angola’s cultural mosaic and ethnolinguistic diversity reflect the multilocational traditional customs and power, which are key to the country’s social organisation. A Soba, a traditional leader whose status is recognised by the Angolan Constitution, exerts political influence, shapes the collective...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-06-01
|
| Series: | Urban Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2413-8851/9/6/207 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850164691558465536 |
|---|---|
| author | Nagayamma Aragão Carlos Smaniotto Costa Ruben Domingos Job Francisco |
| author_facet | Nagayamma Aragão Carlos Smaniotto Costa Ruben Domingos Job Francisco |
| author_sort | Nagayamma Aragão |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Angola’s cultural mosaic and ethnolinguistic diversity reflect the multilocational traditional customs and power, which are key to the country’s social organisation. A Soba, a traditional leader whose status is recognised by the Angolan Constitution, exerts political influence, shapes the collective life, and helps to preserve cultural identity. Customary law, entrenched after independence, became central to the political and administrative restructuring of the country, which had an impact on decentralisation efforts and legal pluralism. This study analyses the traditional leadership of Sobas in Angola in the context of placemaking and territorial co-management. Backed by the theory of Afrocentricity, a multidisciplinary approach is adopted towards setting Africans as the subjects of their own history. It is based on a literature review and critical analysis of the interaction between administrative law and customary law, which imply a hybrid model for territorial governance. The results indicate that the influence of Sobas on decision-making directly affects the use of the territory and cultural development, highlighting the importance of institutionalising traditional power. This paper suggests that recognising and strengthening such hybrid models is key to promoting territorial cohesion and fostering community engagement, whilst integrating traditional practices can result in more inclusive and effective public policies. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-573e641d24294ad7bbbb27cb444d203f |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2413-8851 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Urban Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-573e641d24294ad7bbbb27cb444d203f2025-08-20T02:21:54ZengMDPI AGUrban Science2413-88512025-06-019620710.3390/urbansci9060207The Customary Law and the Traditional Leadership Power in Angola—Their Effects on Territorial Planning IssuesNagayamma Aragão0Carlos Smaniotto Costa1Ruben Domingos2Job Francisco3Department of Architecture and Urban Planning, Universidade Lusófona, 1749-024 Lisbon, PortugalDepartment of Architecture and Urban Planning, Universidade Lusófona, 1749-024 Lisbon, PortugalDepartment of Architecture and Urban Planning, Universidade Lusófona, 1749-024 Lisbon, PortugalFaculty of Law, Catholic University of Angola, Luanda P.O. Box 2064, AngolaAngola’s cultural mosaic and ethnolinguistic diversity reflect the multilocational traditional customs and power, which are key to the country’s social organisation. A Soba, a traditional leader whose status is recognised by the Angolan Constitution, exerts political influence, shapes the collective life, and helps to preserve cultural identity. Customary law, entrenched after independence, became central to the political and administrative restructuring of the country, which had an impact on decentralisation efforts and legal pluralism. This study analyses the traditional leadership of Sobas in Angola in the context of placemaking and territorial co-management. Backed by the theory of Afrocentricity, a multidisciplinary approach is adopted towards setting Africans as the subjects of their own history. It is based on a literature review and critical analysis of the interaction between administrative law and customary law, which imply a hybrid model for territorial governance. The results indicate that the influence of Sobas on decision-making directly affects the use of the territory and cultural development, highlighting the importance of institutionalising traditional power. This paper suggests that recognising and strengthening such hybrid models is key to promoting territorial cohesion and fostering community engagement, whilst integrating traditional practices can result in more inclusive and effective public policies.https://www.mdpi.com/2413-8851/9/6/207customary lawterritorial identitySoba (traditional leader)placemakingco-management of public realmtraditional authority |
| spellingShingle | Nagayamma Aragão Carlos Smaniotto Costa Ruben Domingos Job Francisco The Customary Law and the Traditional Leadership Power in Angola—Their Effects on Territorial Planning Issues Urban Science customary law territorial identity Soba (traditional leader) placemaking co-management of public realm traditional authority |
| title | The Customary Law and the Traditional Leadership Power in Angola—Their Effects on Territorial Planning Issues |
| title_full | The Customary Law and the Traditional Leadership Power in Angola—Their Effects on Territorial Planning Issues |
| title_fullStr | The Customary Law and the Traditional Leadership Power in Angola—Their Effects on Territorial Planning Issues |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Customary Law and the Traditional Leadership Power in Angola—Their Effects on Territorial Planning Issues |
| title_short | The Customary Law and the Traditional Leadership Power in Angola—Their Effects on Territorial Planning Issues |
| title_sort | customary law and the traditional leadership power in angola their effects on territorial planning issues |
| topic | customary law territorial identity Soba (traditional leader) placemaking co-management of public realm traditional authority |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2413-8851/9/6/207 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nagayammaaragao thecustomarylawandthetraditionalleadershippowerinangolatheireffectsonterritorialplanningissues AT carlossmaniottocosta thecustomarylawandthetraditionalleadershippowerinangolatheireffectsonterritorialplanningissues AT rubendomingos thecustomarylawandthetraditionalleadershippowerinangolatheireffectsonterritorialplanningissues AT jobfrancisco thecustomarylawandthetraditionalleadershippowerinangolatheireffectsonterritorialplanningissues AT nagayammaaragao customarylawandthetraditionalleadershippowerinangolatheireffectsonterritorialplanningissues AT carlossmaniottocosta customarylawandthetraditionalleadershippowerinangolatheireffectsonterritorialplanningissues AT rubendomingos customarylawandthetraditionalleadershippowerinangolatheireffectsonterritorialplanningissues AT jobfrancisco customarylawandthetraditionalleadershippowerinangolatheireffectsonterritorialplanningissues |