Diviners were employed by kings to protect the interests of the king but not the king's people. What is true of diviners in medieval African societies was that diviners were employed by kings to protect the interests of the king but not the king's people. Since the early years of the African tribes, people believed that "shamans" or diviners had the power to communicate with the spirits. Tribal people consulted diviners to know things from the future or to talk with the deceased. During medieval times, kings hired these diviners to counsel him and for protection purposes. The king thought that having a seer or diviner in the king's court could help their interests.
The farmers incurred a high cost of production in terms of transportation relative to the prices they received for their output. Monopolistic railroads and grain elevators charged unfair prices which led the farmers to suffer losses
