Akan Culture Research Articles

EXPLORATION OF HOW THE AKAN CULTURE PROMOTE CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING OF GEOMETRY IN THE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLS

The purpose of the study was to investigate how the Akan culture promotes conceptual understanding of geometry in senior high schools. The study area was the Ashanti region, which houses a chunk of the Akan people. The targeted population for the study included experienced mathematics teachers and people well-versed in Akan traditional art. Using purposive and snowball sampling methods, ten participants were recruited, including seven experienced mathematics teachers and three craftsmen. Data was collected through interviews to elicit in-depth information from participants using a semi-structured interview guide. The data was analysed using thematic analysis. One major theme and four sub-themes were identified, indicating that to achieve conceptual understanding, teachers make use of learners’ experiences as they build new knowledge, which enables learners to transfer the knowledge to new situations as they apply the knowledge. We therefore conclude that the Akan culture has connections with geometry, and teachers are encouraged to adapt the school geometry to the Akan culture. We also encourage more research in the area of ethnomathematics to widen the scope.

SPEAKING THE UNSPEAKABLE: PROVERBS OF OBSCENITY AND INVECTIVES IN AKAN

The unspeakable or verbal taboos are words that are considered in bad taste by speakers of a language. They are associated with things that are not said, particularly in words and expressions in a given society because of their indecency, shocking character or immorality Verbal taboos in Akan include ntam ‘reminiscential oath’, duabɔ ‘imprecation’, nsedie ‘selfimprecation’, atɛnnidie ‘invectives’, ammɔdin ‘unspeakable’ The unspeakable may include the effluvia of the human body: faeces, menstrual fluid, etc. and the sex organs and acts related to sex. The data for this paper was drawn from Akan news on Adom FM (a local Akan radio station in Ghana) and an Akan proverb contest on Peace FM (a local Akan radio station) from June 2023 to December 2023. In addition, a questionnaire was conducted with 118 level 300 native Akan speakers at the Faculty of Ghanaian languages Education, University of Education, Winneba. The paper focuses on invectives and the unspeakable in Akan and argues that although the Akan culture does not allow the use of these expressions in normal speech, they are permitted in proverbs.

Service and Care in the Johannine and Akan Conceptual Schemas: Inculturation Hermeneutics

The Johannine and Akan ideologies pertaining to communal existence place significant emphasis on the cultivation of values such as reciprocal service and care. Nevertheless, upon careful examination of the Akan conceptual framework, it becomes apparent that these principles are espoused and upheld due to Akan belief in the indispensable nature of interdependence of human beings. This belief stems from their recognition of the inherent insufficiency of the human being which consequently gives rise to imperfect expressions of service and nurturing. Thus, the study aims to provide a biblical response to these challenges by employing Ukpong’s inculturation hermeneutics. This approach presents a framework for interpretation that enables an exploration of sociocultural matters in a manner that not only enhances the comprehension of the biblical text but also permits the text to function as a discerning evaluation of the Akan culture and propose possible remedies for its sociocultural challenges. The findings reveal that the Akan concepts foster a form of reciprocal care that is propelled by individual motivations and also service that is incentivised by rewards. Consequently, this paper proposes that the Akan believers must emulate the servanthood of Jesus and see reciprocal care as a response to divine instruction. This pursuit should be undertaken with the intention of fostering a sense of familial unity, rather than with the anticipation of receiving equivalent treatment in return. This article makes a valuable contribution to the field of African Biblical Hermeneutics and the ongoing discourse surrounding the integration of the New Testament into the African cultural framework. Keywords: Inculturation Hermeneutics, Johannine Concept of Service and Care, Akan Proverbs

Examining the Metaphorical Extensions of hyɛ (a dress verb) in the Akan Language

In Akan culture, the act of getting dressed is typically expressed through the use of the verb hyԑ, meaning ‘wear’. This study thus examined the various literal and metaphorical interpretations of this verb in Akan communication. Through its ability to combine with different words, hyԑ can take on a wide range of meanings. The study drew data from the Legon-Zurich-Trondheim Akan Dictionary as well as interviews with four L1 speakers of Akan in the Offinso North District of the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The study was based on the Conceptual Metaphor Theory developed by Lakoff & Johnson. The verb hyԑ was used to derive some nominals through affixation and compounding. The evidence suggested that in addition to its basic meaning of dressing, the verb has taken on other metaphorical meanings such as being in a place, ordering/forcing someone, storing/preserving food, making something, covering, and bribing someone. These extended meanings of the verb, however, depend on the context in which the verb is used. This research has demonstrated that the dress verb is polysemous. It further concluded that when new words are derived from a verb, its basic meaning is either maintained or changes metaphorically. The study has implications for language learning since understanding the basic or metaphorical meaning of a word in a language impacts the understanding of the language in general. Keywords: Metaphorical extensions, dress verb, Akan language, Conceptual Metaphor Theory

Building a united community: Reading the Johannine concept of unity through the eyes of an Akan

From the 1960s, African theologians sought to decolonise biblical scholarship, calling for a hermeneutical approach that pays attention to the African sociocultural context – inculturation. One of the undergirding principles of inculturation is that there are African sociocultural questions that the Bible can address through the appropriate interpretative methodology. Thus, this culminated in the application of inculturation on different levels. Similarly, an analysis of Akan aphorisms – the anthology of valuable data on Akan anthropology and communitarian egalitarianism – and the Johannine theology of unity reveals that there are sociocultural maladies that require inculturation. Consequently, the study employed Ukpong’s inculturation hermeneutics to read the Johannine unity ideation because it facilitates the cross-pollination of ideas – the Johannine unity ideation to critique the Akan culture and the conceptualisation of unity in Akan proverbial lore to enrich the understanding of the Johannine theology of unity. The findings indicated that Akan unity ideation receives its impetus from personal and communal benefits, making sustainability impossible without them. Additionally, it contravenes the tenets of Akan communalism and anthropology. Furthermore, it revealed that Christian unity is grounded on replicating the divine community; therefore, it can fill the lacunae in the Akan concept. Finally, it established that the culture enriches the text.Contribution: Given that this article is an interactive engagement between the Johannine and Akan concepts of unity, it contributes to the ongoing discussions on contextual theology – the inculturation of the New Testament in the African context. Furthermore, it contributes to the discussions on Akan communalism.

“Ready to Die”: The Notorious Cuff, a Resistant Enslaved (Akan) Male in Eighteenth-Century New Jersey

Abstract This essay explores the little-known yet fascinating 1767 murder of Daniel Hart at the hands of his enslaved male named Cuff, an alleged Akan person from Ghana, West Africa. The murder provides a crucial interpretive window into eighteenth-century New Jersey and the hostile relationship between bondmen and their male enslavers that could be described as warfare, that is, as a constant state of conflict that involved violent coercion. In its attempt to hear Cuff's muted oppositional voice, the essay engages a range of sources, including a popular rap song from the 1990s. In doing so, the essay refutes the portrayal of Cuff as evil, lazy, and hence, historically irrelevant. It frames the bondman as empowered by his Akan culture, which encouraged him to resent his existence under a white patriarchal system that degraded him in various ways, and in a larger white patriarchal society that policed his Black body, thereby making permanent escape an impossibility. Feeling boxed in by slavery and the larger society, Cuff took Hart's life and then his own, with the idea of making a spiritual journey to the ancestral realm. Armed with the weapon of cultural suicide, Cuff had reached the point in his war with Hart where he was, to borrow from rapper Notorious B.I.G., “ready to die.” Cuff's obscured story sheds important light on the destructive ramifications of New Jersey slavery, suggesting that Blacks fought whites for the preservation of their bodies and sense of self-worth with powerful (hidden) weapons.

Comparative and Constructive Analysis of Akan Marriage Performance: The Past and the Present

This study examined Akan marriage performance by comparing the present and the past constructively. Marriage is a significant institution in the Akan culture of Ghana, playing a crucial role in shaping societal values and norms. This study aims to conduct a comparative and constructive analysis of Akan marriage performance, exploring the changes that have occurred over time and their impact on contemporary practices. Comparatively, it was established that, Akan marriages were often arranged by parents or extended family members with little input from the individuals involved. However, in modern times, there is a shift towards more self-choice marriages, where individuals have greater freedom in selecting their partners. Constructively, it was revealed that, many Akan couples today strive to strike a balance between honouring traditional customs and incorporating modern elements into their marriage ceremonies. This blend allows them to maintain cultural connections while also adapting to contemporary realities. The study confined itself with primary source of data. Other authorities’ works that are related to marriage performance; old and present, were consulted and reviewed to match up with the current study. Descriptive and survey design was adapted for the investigation. Purposive sampling technique was used to elicit significant information for the analysis. Data were collected through interviews and observations. One hundred and fifty (150) participants were involved in the investigation. Theories that support the investigation are Karl Marx (1848) social change theory and Walt Rostow (1960) modernization theory. These theories provide different lenses through which to analyze and understand the comparative and constructive analysis of Akan marriage performances, considering the historical, cultural, social, and gender dynamics involved.

African Metaphysics, Epistemology and a New Logic: A Decolonial Approach to Philosophy, by Jonathan O. Chimakonam and L. Uchenna Ogbonnaya

<i>African Metaphysics, Epistemology and a New Logic: A Decolonial Approach to Philosophy</i>, by Jonathan O. Chimakonam and L. Uchenna Ogbonnaya

The cultural adaptation of quantity judgment tasks in Ghanaian English and Akan

The phenomenon of mass and countability is multifaceted and has been controversially discussed in many disciplines. For linguistics, differences in the morphosyntactic marking of the distinction cross-linguistically, and its cross-cultural ontological-semantic conceptualization are particularly interesting. However, most studies into mass and countability have focused on (American) English, and, to some extent European and Asian languages. African languages and contexts have as yet been neglected by researchinto countability, and the methodological tools employed to study it do not account for the ambient cultural contexts. This paper presents the results of a quantity judgment task designed according to Barner and Snedeker’s (2005) experiment for American English speakers, conducted in Ghanaian English and Akan. The Ghanaian experiments reveal important concerns regarding the stimuli and their applicability, especially to Akan culture. Thus, inspired by other studies into the semantics of Akan, a new set of stimuli is suggested in order to investigate mass and countability contrastively in Ghanaian English and Akan. In this vein, they emphasize the insufficiency of translations with regard to (psycho)linguistic experiments and the importance of proper cultural adaptation.

"We Will All Go, But What We All Seek Is Good Death": Cultural Notions of Good Death And Related Mortuary Rituals Among the Akan of Ghana.

Thanatologists who have researched mortuary beliefs and practices from around the world posit that many societies differentiate between good and bad deaths. The current study utilized in-depth interviews with 30 Akan culture experts to investigate what the Akan ethnic group of Ghana considers to be good death. The results show that Akan good death is natural harmonious death that occurs at advanced age. The deceased would also have experienced a meaningful life devoid of immorality or turpitude. While the bodies of decedents of Akan bad deaths are interred without much ceremony, good deaths are associated with elaborate burial rites and funerary obsequies that serve to honor the decedent. Findings show that Akans generally aspire to achieve a good death, be granted solemn burial rites, and to receive a fitting funerary celebration that would launch them on a journey to join ancestral kin in the hereafter.

Doran Ross: The Scholar of Akan Art

Doran Ross: The Scholar of Akan Art

Malakoi (Effeminates) and Avrsenokoitai (Homosexuals): A Reflection on 1 Corinthians 6:9 from a Ghanaian (Akan) Perspective

Homosexuality and the rights of LGBTQ+ people have in recent times become one of the most discussed topics. In Ghana especially, there are massive debates, comments and advocacy of various kinds on the print, mass and electronic media on the subject. Politicians, religious leaders, among others have had to add their voice to the ongoing discussion as to whether or not to accept homosexuality. It appears the majority of Ghanaians are anti-gay and believe that the activities of homosexuals or LGBTQ+ people are unnatural and foreign to Ghanaian primal thought and thus are calling for proper human sexual rights and Ghanaian family values. This paper examines Paul’s use of malakoi (effeminates) and avrsenokoi/tai (homosexuals) in 1 Corinthians 6:9 from the perspective of the Ghanaian (Akan) culture. The researcher brings out Paul’s understanding and theology of malakoi and avrsenokoi/tai, and then engages these with the Akan understanding of homosexuality. This way, the Akan culture is factored into the interpretation of the selected Pauline passage as it forms the basis of the researcher’s theological reflection on the subject under discussion among the Akan. The researcher uses Kwame Bediako’s “scripture as the hermeneutic of culture and tradition” as an interpretive tool, to interpret the Akan philosophy on homosexuality and how that compares to Paul’s concept of homosexuality. This study serves as a contribution to knowledge as it brings new insights to the ongoing discussion throughout the world regarding the understanding of human sexuality especially from cultural and biblical perspectives. KEYWORDS: Effeminates, homosexuals, homosexuality, unrighteous, hermeneutic, culture.

An Akan (Bono-Twi) Mother-Tongue Commentary on the Second Letter of John

Christianity in Africa has experienced phenomenal growth in recent times. This growth however comes with the challenge of how the African church can maintain its numerical strength and at the same time ensure that the faith of its members is well grounded in Scriptures. One way to respond to this challenge is to provide the church with African-brewed resources for didactic purposes. In such an exercise the role of African mother-tongue biblical hermeneutics and theologizing cannot be overstated. This article is a mother-tongue commentary on the second epistle (letter) of John based on the Bono-Twi text. The second letter of John was chosen because contemporary African society shares relevant aspects of the context of the addressees of this letter. For example, false teachers abound in the African church just as they did in the community to whom this letter was addressed. The Bono-Twi text was obtained from the Greek text (Novum Testamentum Graece: Nestle-Aland) through a meticulous application of relevant principles of translation and a careful mediation between the biblical culture and the Akan culture. Afterward, a Bono-Twi commentary was produced through careful textual analyses, interpretation and mother-tongue theologizing that brings together Christian spirituality and the African (Bono) worldview. All Bono-Twi texts have been translated into English to make the work accessible to non-Akan readers as well. The main conclusions from the study are that (1) true believers must believe that Jesus is the Christ and he came in flesh (2) believers must (under no circumstance) compromise the basic truths about Christ and his salvation. Therefore, in a context where false teachers abound in various societies the church must stand for the truth, teach it and practicalize it to expose heresies. Keywords: False Teachings, Love, Second John, Truth

Values and Behaviour: The Literary Concept of “Bosom” in the Akan Culture

This paper sees the Akan concept of “bosom”, translated into English as “lesser god”, as a very powerful socializing instrument used in constructing social order in the community. The aim of this paper is not to discount or dismiss the spiritual powers of the “bosom” but to use oral literature as a platform to investigate the role of the Akan people in the construction of what is known as “bosom”. This study has recourse to qualitative research methods in gathering data, the researcher immersing in the culture through formal and informal interviews and participant observation. The study also goes further to use the literary stylistics approach in analyzing the data. The findings are that man makes the taboos and the lesser gods execute the punishment. Again, taboos are values which constitute the tracks on which the society moves. These values “disguised” as “bosom” work, thanks to the fear factor in the Akan concept of “bosom”, making Akans literally worship these values in the form of “bosom”. Keywords: Cultural values, taboos, punishment, Akan lesser gods, stylistics

Christian Faith and Akan Culture in Ghana: A Review of Major Works of Sidney George Williamson

Christian growth must not only be considered in terms of the growth of numbers. The growth in the church must also be considered in the level of depth and the quality of Christian conversion within a cultural milieu. The depth of the faith has a lot to do with how the Gospel speaks directly to the minds and hearts of its hearers. Moreover, the Gospel can speak to the hearts and minds of its hearers when the indigenous world views that condition the inner lives of the people are given serious consideration. The study is a review of the major works of Sidney George Williamson on the Christian faith and Akan culture in Ghana. As an early student of the tension between the Christian faith and Akan culture and the challenges of Christian identity, Williamson draws attention to the fact that Christianity can adequately meet Akan Christian needs when it pays attention to the cultural worldview of the people it seeks to serve. The study as a qualitative one uses both primary and secondary sources. Interviews and observations were conducted in some Akan communities on the integration of Christian faith and Akan cultural worldview. The study points to the fact that the construction of theology among Akan Christians must be done from the inside to the outside and not from outside to the inside, the approach that Western missionaries adopted. The spiritual needs of Akan Christians will be adequately met when they hear the Gospel in their own cultural understandings rather than theology done in the West offered to the Akan in European worldview. The study further calls attention to the preparedness of the churches in the Akan cultural environment for paradigm shifts in the Christian faith and Akan Cultural engagements in post-missionary African Christianity. Keywords: Akan Culture, Christian Faith, Local Theologies, Sidney George Williamson

Beauty in the Eyes of the Akan People of Ghana: A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Alex Konadu’s Song “Asianawaa”

Beauty is a universal concept and has many facets. But the standards of measuring beauty are arbitrary and differ from one culture to another. The variations in the ideals of beauty show what is expected of women in any society. In the Western world, the standards of beauty do not extend beyond the physical appearance of a woman. In the African cultural setting, particularly in the Akan culture, the standards of beauty are not limited to only the physical appearance of the woman. How language is used in exploring the standard of beauty in the Akan has received a little attention. This paper seeks to focus on the use of language used in expressing beauty in the Akan society. Using data based on the song entitled “Asianawaa”, by Alex Kwabena Konadu, a well-known Ghanaian musician, this study examines the Akan concept of beauty as reflected in the use of language. Konadu captures the notion of beauty, through the female physical features, non-physical features and the social capital of beauty. The metaphor, allusion and symbolism are the main language tools that help to conceptualise the concept of beauty in this Akan song. The findings reveal that Konadu’s lyrics highlight the metaphorical concept of beauty with its connotations. It draws conclusion that Konadu’s idea of beauty is demonstrated in understanding the relationship between the language and the socio-cultural experiences of the Akan of Ghana.

“If you die a bad death, we give you a bad burial:” Mortuary practices and “bad death” among the Akan in Ghana

This article describes features of bad deaths and their associated mortuary rituals among the Akan of Ghana. Data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with 30 Akan cultural experts. In Akan culture, bad deaths are associated with brief, perfunctory mortuary rituals. There is no washing, keeping of wake over the body, nor any presentation of grave goods, and no bidding of farewell to the decedent. Every effort is made to expunge the decedent from the memories of the lineage. Contravening prescribed customary rites for bad deaths is believed to cause disasters for the lineage, including recurrent bad deaths.

English ‘non-name’ address forms in the non-native sociolinguistic context

In this paper, the focus is on non-name address forms, or rather, non-proper name address forms, and they are seen as English loan words, which are originally used in the native English culture not as address terms or names. With their use in the Akan culture, these expressions have not only been loaned, but they have also been referentially transformed. The paper looks at the use of such address forms of English origin as kinship terms, common formal titles, status-description names, names denoting age and physical characteristics and occupational names in the Akan culture. It discusses the meaning and use of these names vis-à-vis their usage in Standard English. The paper also discusses the processes of indigenisation as the terms are adopted into the Akan sociolinguistic culture.

The ethnopragmatics of Akan advice

Abstract This paper discusses Akan Advice under ethnopragmatics. It adopts persuasion, speech acts of directives and expressives, and Akan proverbs to discuss advice with the insight from Akan culture. The adviser expresses some feelings and emotions and directs the advisee to act and behave towards the benefits of the individual, the group or society. The paper taps data from participant observations and audio taped recordings at arbitrations, marriage and naming ceremonies. There is another data from Adi’s (1973) Akan literature book, Brako that covers pieces of advice on travelling, settlement and occupation. The Akan texts are translated into English and analysed. The analysis covers semantics, pragmatics, stylistic devices, and proverbs.

English

The Akan of Ghana are one of the ‘richest’ ethnic groups in the country. They are known to be the first ethnic group that settled in Ghana, hence the reason for the name “kan (e)” which means ‘the first’. There are several subgroups that are classified under the eight main clans of the Akan and all of these subgroups are well known for their rich culture. Among the Akan culture the chief is seen as the custodian of the land. To convey the words of the chief to the people, the spokesperson (I½kyeame), being a repository of the Akan customs, values and language, quotes the words of the chief appropriately, for easy understanding. The spokespersons staffs (I½kyeame Poma), magnificent gold–covered staffs, are carried by these spokespersons who are high–ranking officials within the court of the Akan chiefs in Ghana, as symbols of authority. The spokespersons staffs are usually classified under Akan symbolism as they are said to serve as a medium of communication. The staff is meant to constitute a principal symbol that defines the spokesperson’s office and facilitate his functions in and out of the chief’s court. To gain the relevant information about the unwritten perspectives of the Akan spokespersons staffs from experts in the field of Akan history, interview was used as the main form of data collection. From the study, it was evident that all spokespersons staffs (I½kyeame Poma), carry the philosophy of the group of people it represents. The spokespersons staffs are also respected as an embodiment of the souls of the Akan people. On the unwritten perspectives of the Akan spokespersons staff, it was evident that the I½kyeame’s are not linguists (as they are popularly called) but rather spokespersons. Key words: Spokesperson, spokespersons staffs, linguist, Akan history, Akan clans.