Posted by Chester Morton / Monday, 5 September 2016 / No comments
The functions, powers and limitations of the Commandant du Cercle
THE COMMANDANT DU CERCLE
Introduction
The French organized their entire West African overseas
territory into a federation of eight divisions with its headquarter in Dakar,
Senegal. The administrative structure
was hierarchical and the Cercle was the lowest level of the hierarchy where
there was a French official designated "Commander du Cercle".
FUNCTIONS OF THE COMMANDANT DU CERCLE
Collection of tax
It is the function of the Commandant du Cercle to ensure,
through the native rulers, that the natives within his cercle paid their taxes
to the French Administration.
Forced labour
The French system of forced labour was one of the policies by
which the French authorities made sure they got valuable work done in the
territories. It was the duty of the Commandant du Cercle to ensure that the
work was done by making sure that African chiefs provided natives to be engaged
for the forced labour.
Cultivation of crops
The cultivation of major crops was a major feature of French
agricultural policy in the overseas territories. One of the functions of the
Commandant du Cercle was to make sure that the crops which were cultivated by
the natives for the French were of high quality.
Executes government policies
Every policy directive that came from the French metropolis
stopped on the desk of Commandant du Cercle and he was the man on the ground to
implement all government policies within his Cercle.
Judicial functions
There was a local court presided over by the Chef de
sub-division that tried cases brought before it. If any party to a case was not
satisfied with the outcome of the case, he could appeal to the Criminal
Tribunal for redress. The Commandant du Cercle presided over the Criminal
Tribunal.
Appointment of Cantonal Chiefs
The Commandant du Cercle also played a major role in the
appointment of Chiefs of Cantons within his Cercle. Though the appointment of
the Cantonal Chief was done by the Lieutenant-Governor, the particular persons
who were appointed, had to be recommended by the Commandant du Cercle.
LIMITATIONS OF THE COMMANDANT DU CERCLE
Control by the Lieutenant-General
The Commandant du Cercle was under the control of the
Lieutenant-Governor. The latter could override some of the decisions of the
Commandant du Cercle.
Frequent transfers
In order to prevent a particular Commandant from entrenching
his tentacles in a cercle for too long, thereby opening up himself to be
possibly corrupted, the Commandants were frequently moved from one cercle to
the other.
Limitation by Chef de Canton
The Commandant relied heavily on the cantonal chiefs for
information because he often remained in the capital of the cercle. As a
result, he could sometimes be misinformed by the chiefs that served under him.
Check by letter writers
There were some individuals who lived in the four communes,
well educated, who could write letters about happenings in the Cercle. They
normally wrote about the injustices dished out by the Commandants to the
people. Their writings, therefore, served as a check on the powers of the
Commandant du Cercle.
Fear of local rebellion
There were instances of local rebellion within the Cercles in
the past which caused disturbances, though the rebellions were duly crushed.
Therefore, the Commandant du Cercle still feared such rebellions and it served
as a limitation to the powers of the Commandant du Cercle.
Limitations from Dakar
Whenever a commandant sentenced a person to a term of
imprisonment of more than five years, the sentence could be reviewed by the Chamber
of Certification, a kind of Supreme Court based in Dakar, Senegal.
SAMPLE QUESTION(S)
1. Highlight six functions and powers of the commandant du
cercle.
2. a. Describe the position of the Commandant du Cercle under
French colonial rule.
b. Highlight five
limitations of the Commandant du Cercle
3. a. Describe the position of the Commandant du Cercle under
French colonial rule
b. Highlight five
functions performed by the Commandant du Cercle.
