The mogho naba[a] of Wogodogo is the ruler ("king of the world") of Wogodogo, one of the Mossi Kingdoms located in present-day Burkina Faso. The kingdom takes its name from its historic capital, now the Burkinabe national capital of Ouagadougou. Although the most politically powerful of the Mossi Kingdoms, there was no Mossi "empire", and the Wogodogo king did not have authority over the other kingdoms.[1] The French colonial period and subsequent independence have reduced the power vested in the position, but the mogho naba retains an influential role in Burkina Faso.[2]
The position is typically hereditary, following male-only lines of descent. Originally, the position passed primarily to brothers (or even cousins), rather than to sons, but by the reign of Zombré had transitioned to its current order of succession,[3] where rule generally passes to the eldest living son of the previous ruler. Children born to sons who predecease their fathers are not eligible to inherit the title. However, a tribal council is ultimately responsible for selecting the mogho naba, and the heir apparent may be passed over if, for example, he is deemed physically unfit for the position's traditional role in war or if he would fail to uphold the dignity of the office (as in cases of adultery).[4] This council has traditionally included: the baloum naba, head of the king's servants; the gounga naba, leader of the infantry; the larale naba, keeper of the royal tombs; the kamsaogo naba, manager of the palace eunuchs; and the widi naba, the royal groom.[5]
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
Belsour was invoked but never defined (see the help page).