Akan Of Ghana Research Articles

Exploring Impediments to Human Flourishing Across the Lifespan in Six African Countries

AbstractHuman flourishing (HF) is fundamental in fostering development in every sector of human communities throughout the world. Understanding the concept of human flourishing is essential in identifying and limiting practices that may impede human’s tendency to flourish. Most research on HF have been focused on the minority world and devoted to factors that foster it with minimal regard for the impediments and perspectives from the majority world. Based on this, the study aims to explore the impediments to human flourishing across the lifespan in Africa. Specifically, it examines factors that impede human flourishing in three age groups (children, adolescents, and adults). Empirical data were collected qualitatively through focus group discussion sessions and expert interviews with children, adolescents, and adults from communities in 6 African countries (Marachi, Eteso and Turkana of Kenya, the Sukuma of Tanzania, the Bantu and Nilo Hamites of Uganda, the Amhara of Ethopia, the Nso and Nweh of Cameroon and the Akan of Ghana). After the thematic analysis, the findings revealed that; inevitable factors like death and other issues that can be improved on like poverty, conflict, selfishness, immoral behavior and ill health impede human flourishing across the life span. However, other impediments identified were age specific. Marriage challenges impeded flourishing among adult folks while lack of sufficient play time impeded children’s flourishing. An intervention on coping strategies to deal with inevitable impeding factors to human flourishing like death and strategies to improve on all the other manageable impediments is vital for the enhancement of flourishing in Africa.

Gendered mourning: A perspective of Akan death culture in Ghana

Death is the commonest, incomprehensible, and inescapable reality confronting humanity in all nations and cultures. However, cultures vary in their conceptions of death, grieving and mourning rituals. Among the Akan of Ghana, mourning and funeral obsequies are essential cultural and spiritual practices. In this article, we draw insights from our reflective lived experiences and critical literature review to explore mourning and death rituals among the Akan as a stratified cultural system that reflects and reproduces broader gender patterns of masculinity and femininity in Ghana. We discuss the concept and cultural significance of mourning and bereavement practices, and further examine how socio-cultural notions of gender shape mourning and death rituals in Ghana. We argue that, as in many social and economic spaces in Ghana, funeral obsequies and bereavement practices represent sites for enacting and reproducing masculinity and femininity. The deleterious health and psychological consequences for men and women are further discussed.

“My Outfit, My Identity”: An Ethnographic Study of the Akan of Ghana and the Basotho of Lesotho

Culture is a way of life. It is anything that identifies a group of people; it makes them unique or different from others. The most striking symbol of culture is an outfit or attire. What people wear or how they dress (their outfit) projects their cultural identity. The Akan of Ghana and Basotho of Lesotho are typical examples of ethnic groups in Africa whose cultural heritage and identities are epitomised in their outfits. These ethnic groups are proud of their culture and unapologetic in putting on traditional attire or dresses that culturally identify them wherever they may be found. Akan women wear kaba (a top dress) with a slit that is stylishly designed by professional dressmakers using colourful kente (gorgeous) or other textiles and fabrics with matching duku (headgear) and bead ornaments around the neck and the wrist. The men wear colourful kente and joromi (tie-dye) shirts, smocks (fugu), or dashiki made from embroidered natural cotton materials. The Basotho are known for wearing expensive and beautiful Seshoeshoe (named after King Moshoeshoe, the founder of the Basotho nation) and likobo (a blanket made from animal fur) outfits with matching hats (molia-nyeoe). This ethnographic study investigates the raison d’etre for the unapologetic display of cultural outfits among the two African ethnic groups. The study, which employed the qualitative research methods of interviews and observation for data collection, found that the two groups are fond of their uniqueness because of their belief that without culture one is lost. The study concludes that Africa’s rebirth is an encouragement for Africans to project and preserve their heritage and identities.

"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.

Gender (In)Equality in Ghana: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Akan Proverbs on Masculinity

Gender differences have been recognized in most cultures, but the challenge arises when such differences are misinterpreted as gender inequality, especially to the gross disadvantage of women. One dimension of culture where gender inequality is generally manifested is through language and more specifically the use of proverbs, which are generally believed to host the wisdom of societies. Among some societies, people’s actions or inactions are often reflected in the meanings and interpretations of proverbs. This paper examines how proverbs may perpetuate gender inequality and potentially lead males to pronounced risks among the Akan in Ghana. Using a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), the study revealed that while some proverbs portray masculine superiority, such construction of masculinity, ironically, tends to subject males to pronounced risks in trying to live up to the expectations of society. Implicitly, these proverbs restrict the socio-cultural space for men to express their socially constructed ordeals. We conclude that the traditional representation of men in proverbs needs to be critically re-examined to holistically deal with gender inequality in Ghana.

Traditional Mortuary Rites Culture among the Akans of Ghana

Traditional Mortuary Rites Culture among the Akans of Ghana

Akan Belief System and Their Influence on the Diagnosis, Treatment and Rehabilitation of Indigenous Orthopaedic Therapy

The Akan are historically an important ethnic group in Ghana who have beliefs on wide range of practices including orthopaedic therapy. The treatment is referred to in indigenous circles as ‘bone setting’. It is a specialised branch of traditional medicine which is quite popular among the Akan in Ghana. Unfortunately, most studies on the subject have focused on benefits of the treatment without placing premium on the philosophy that produced those results. The study seeks to examine the belief systems associated with indigenous orthopaedic therapy among the Akan of Ghana and also investigate the extent to which the belief systems have influenced the diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of indigenous orthopaedic therapy. The study is qualitative and the Case study approach was adopted. The population for the study comprises the orthopaedic centres in the Akan Regions of Ghana, patients and cured patients from the selected indigenous orthopaedic centres, Western Medical Practitioners associated with the centres and knowledgeable people on the subject in the communities visited. Purposive sampling procedure was adopted for this study. Observation, and interview were used to collect data from the centres visited. The study revealed that the Akan belief informs the therapists’ choices of tools and materials for their therapeutic processes. Their mode of diagnosis and treatment are also influenced largely by this belief. These processes are approached from two levels; the spiritual and the physical. Spiritually, they deal with the spirit that caused the bone injury and physically use various substances to treat the injury. The indigenous practice therefore makes room for rehabilitation of cured patients in order to address all social and psychological imbalances the injury brings to the cured patients.

'If this is of God': Choosing to Curse in Ghanaian Charismatic Christianity

African Christianity takes the challenges from their enemies and the evil forces seriously. There is hardly a call to love the enemy. Moreover, it is about destroying physical or spiritual beings that oppose one's wellbeing. In the African Pentecostal/Charismatic ministries, one finds pastors and prophets who are cursing their colleagues openly. This essay reflects on the cursing prayers of Bishop Dag Heward-Mills, the founder and Presiding Bishop of Lighthouse Chapel International, and Pastor Kelvin Elson Godson, founder of Zoe Outreach Embassy, Ogbodjo, Accra to explore their religious, ethical, and cultural justifications in contemporary neo-Charismatic ministries in Ghana in light of the African religious and cultural values. It uses the African cultural hermeneutics and paradigmatic approach in biblical ethics to show why the Akan of Ghana do not allow leaders of society to curse others. It shows that it is not only the motive and intention of the one at prayer but also the cultural and religious values that make cursing prayers legitimate or illegitimate.

Literary Forms/Techniques & Methods of Study

Literary Forms/Techniques & Methods of Study Christopher T. Begg, Thomas Hieke, Fred W. Guyette, Brian J. Meldrum, and John M. Halligan Christopher T. Begg Catholic University of America Thomas Hieke Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz Fred W. Guyette Erskine College and Seminary Brian J. Meldrum Catholic University of America John M. Halligan St. John Fisher College 1880. [Wisdom in the OT in light of Akan (Ghana) Parallels] Emmanuel K. E. Antwi, Isaac F. Adjei, and Joseph K. Asuming, "Understanding Wisdom in the Old Testament through its Akan (Ghana) Parallels: Linkages and Disconnections," OTE 33 (3, 2020) 408-27. Seeking to explain and interpret biblical concepts in various cultures without due regard to the cultures of the biblical world can give rise to difficulties. When this happens, one runs the risk of imposing one's own cultural worldview on the biblical text. At the same time, an understanding of the concepts of one's own culture may be helpful in grasping the meanings of biblical concepts. Against this background, our paper aims to mutually illuminate the concept of wisdom in the OT and among the Akan of Ghana. In pursuit of this goal, we critically analyze the connotations of the concept, sources, and acquisition of wisdom in the OT vis-à-vis those of the Akan ethnic groups in Ghana. By way of such a comparative analysis, we attempt to clarify how the OT concept of wisdom could be understood with the help of its Akan parallels, notwithstanding the differences between them. Our conclusion is that the Akan concept of wisdom can be of help in the interpretation of wisdom in the OT, but cannot fully explain it. Our paper thus pinpoints one of the challenges that interpreters are likely to encounter in the use of reader-centered approaches to biblical hermeneutics. [Adapted from published abstract—C.T.B.] Google Scholar 1881. [The Historical-Critical Paradigm in Biblical Studies] Joshua A. Berman, "A Critical Intellectual History of the Historical-Critical Paradigm in Biblical Studies," Exploring the Composition of the Pentateuch, 7-25 [see #2517]. In this essay, I provide a critical intellectual history of the historical-critical paradigm in biblical studies, with particular regard to theories of development of the biblical text. My interest is to understand the origins of the intellectual commitments that shape the discipline today and its disposition toward empirical models of textual growth. I shall examine how theorists over three centuries have entertained the most fundamental questions: What is the goal of the historical-critical study of the Hebrew Bible? What is the probative value of evidence internal within the text itself relative to evidence from external sources? What is the role of intuition in the scholar's work? What is the role of methodological control? As we shall see, scholars in different ages offered very different answers to these questions, answers colored by the prevailing intellectual milieu of their respective times. I proceed by surveying the intellectual currents during the formative period of the discipline, the two centuries between B. Spinoza and J. Wellhausen, with an emphasis on developments in 19th-cent. Germany. We shall see that the axioms that governed 19th-cent. German scholarship were at a great divide from those that governed earlier historicalcritical scholarship. We shall see further that these axioms were based in intellectual currents that were particular to the 19th cent., especially so in Germany. From there, I offer a brief summary of the claims of contemporary scholars who are looking toward empirical models to reconstruct the textual development of the Hebrew Scriptures. I conclude by demonstrating how this vein of scholarship undermines an array of 19th-cent. intellectual [End Page 702] assumptions, but would have been quite at home in earlier periods of the discipline's history. My hope is that this survey will stimulate a new self-awareness among scholars investigating these issues today. [Author's introduction, pp. 8-9—C.T.B.] Google Scholar 1882. [Enemies in the Psalter; Cognitive-Linguistic Approach] Travis J. Bott, "Figurative Enemies in the Psalms: A Cognitive-Linguistic Approach," Gegner im Gebet, 74-106 [see #2541]. This essay investigates the topic of enemies in...

Examining the Quest for the Historical Jesus and its Relevance Today

The Akans of Ghana have a proverb that says, tete wo bi ka, tete wo bi kyere nti hwe na sua - which literally means - the past has something to say, it has something to teach, therefore, learn from it. It emphasizes the importance and significance of History. History enables humanity to look at the past with the view to understanding the present in order to make projections into the future. Jesus Christ is one person who has influenced humanity very significantly. However, Jesus Christ lived in a different era. In order to understand him and see his relevance, there is the need to enter the world in which he lived and see whether his life and teachings make sense today. This necessitates the fusion of two horizons. It calls for deconstruction and construction again of the life and ministry of Jesus to make his teaching more meaningful and significant for people of today. This article discusses the search for the Jesus of History; whether this quest is possible and the relevance for this quest for contemporary society. The purpose of writing this article is to retrieve the significance of Jesus Christ in Salvation History and make Him relevant in contemporary society. Keywords: Deconstruction, Demythologize, Fusion of Horizons, Historical Jesus, Reconstruction and Quest

The Role of the Chief-King Among the Akans: A Theological Reflection

The study seeks to explore the role of chiefs-kings among the Akan in Ghana vis-à-vis the functions of the District/Municipal and Metropolitan Assemblies and the relevance of the chieftaincy institution in contemporary society. A literary approach was adopted for the study making use of analysed secondary data. The study findings indicated that whereas the functions of the District/Municipal and Metropolitan Assemblies are political and administrative, that of the chiefs-kings among the Akan in Ghana are executive, legislative, judicial, religious (spiritual) and agents of development. The functions of the Assemblies are therefore complementary, collaborative and co-operative to that of the chiefs-kings. Thus, the District/Municipal and Metropolitan Assemblies and the chieftaincy institutions are not opposed to each other but collaborative in function. The article maintains that the chieftaincy institution is still relevant in contemporary society despite the abuses by some chiefs-kings and cannot be replaced by the District/Municipal and Metropolitan Assemblies. The study recommends that the District/Municipal and Metropolitan Assemblies and the chiefs-kings should recognise each other as partners and collaborators in their jurisdictions and not as competitors or opponents. The Assemblies should recognize that the chiefs-kings are the custodians of the land and intermediaries between the living and the ancestors and give them their due rights. As such, the chiefs-kings hold the keys to the peace and development of their kingdoms; and chiefs-kings should serve their subjects as role models and govern them with humility, justice and peace. The study contributes to the understanding of the chieftaincy institution among the Akan in 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.

Understanding Wisdom in the Old Testament through Its Akan (Ghana) Parallels: Linkages and Disconnections

ABSTRACT Explaining and interpreting biblical concepts in different cultures without due regard to the cultures of the biblical world have some challenges. When caution is not taken, one stands a chance of imposing one's cultural worldview on the biblical text. Understanding of the concepts in one's culture could be useful in helping him or her grasp the meanings of the biblical concepts. This paper delves into wisdom in the OT and that of the Akan of Ghana, analysing critically the connotations of the concept, sources and acquisition of wisdom in the OT vis-à-vis those of the Akan ethnic groups of Ghana. Through a comparative analysis, it attempts to describe how the OT concept of wisdom could be understood with the help of its parallels in Akan, regardless of their disconnections. It discovers that the Akan concept of wisdom can be of help in the interpretation of wisdom in the OT, but it cannot fully explain it. The paper pinpoints one of the challenges that interpreters are likely to encounter in the use of reader-centred approaches of biblical hermeneutics. Keywords: Wisdom, Israel, Old Testament, Wisdom Literature, Akan, Culture.

Akan Healthcare Delivery System and Its Effect on Modern Healthcare Practice in Ghana

In many societies, medicinal knowledge including healthcare delivery is associated with cultural and religious traditions. Among the Akan of Ghana, cultural knowledge about healthcare includes beliefs and practices as well as the use of expressions of culture in accordance with indigenous laws and mores. In this paper, we argue that despite the external influence by modernity and scientific developments, Akan cultural and religious traditions in healthcare have proven worthy in addressing many health needs of the countless poor among the Akan and other socio-cultural groups in Ghana. The research approach was qualitative and a cross sectional survey involving a sample size of 200 individuals. The paper identified that Akan religion and cultural knowledge about medicine/healthcare continues to play tremendous roles in many communities, even though it has not been fully officially accepted and acknowledged in Ghana. The existence of indigenous healthcare with other forms of medical care has positive impact on the socio-economic life and total well-being of the people. There is, therefore, the need to tap more into this religio-cultural knowledge on medicine and healthcare.

The Court Poet/Praise Singer in Wole Soyinka's Death and the King's Horseman and Ola Rotimi's Ovonramwen Nogbaisi: a Critical Appraisal


 
 
 Oral artists are a common sight in traditional African societies and were most prominent in old empires such as Oyo, Benin, Songhai and Mali. They also existed in the Zulu empire, northern Nigeria and among the Akan in Ghana. Their place is integral to the social and political well-being of these empires. In the Oyo empire, court poets are known as Olohun-Iyo. They are called griots in Senegal and Mali and among the Akan of Ghana, they are called Kwadwumfo. Modern Nigerian dramatists such as Wole Soyinka and Ola Rotimi have appropriated the image and roles of the court poet in Death and The King’s Horseman and Ovonramwen Nogbaisi respectively. This paper defines who a court poet is, his role as a maker and wordsmith, and the nature of his work and patronage. It examines the qualities he must possess and the content of his poetry. In examining the place of memory and remembering in the discharge of the poet ́s duties, the paper investigates the various mnemonic and retrieval systems used by the poet to recall past accounts and great deeds of the kings. The roles of traditional court poets will be compared with the roles played by Olohun-iyo and Uzazakpo in the selected plays. The paper will also discuss what has become of oral artists in modern African societies. How viable is the art-form in the modern world with the advent of technology? Has civilization and modernity eroded their importance in society? While affirming their traditional advisory, prophetic, warning, motivational roles and as repositories of customs and culture, this paper concludes by stating the poet employs linguistic, para- linguistic and “medicinal” strategies to recall events at a given performance.
 KEYWORDS: COURT-POET, PRAISE SINGER, TRADITIONAL AFRICAN POETRY, WOLE SOYINKA, OLA ROTIMI
 
 

The Court Poet/Praise Singer in Wole Soyinka’s Death and the King’s Horseman and Ola Rotimi’s Ovonramwen Nogbaisi: A Critical Appraisal

Oral artists are a common sight in traditional African societies and were most prominent in old empires such as Oyo, Benin, Songhai and Mali. They also existed in the Zulu empire, northern Nigeria and among the Akan in Ghana. Their place is integral to the social and political well-being of these empires. In the Oyo empire, court poets are known as Olohun-Iyo. They are called griots in Senegal and Mali and among the Akan of Ghana, they are called Kwadwumfo. Modern Nigerian dramatists such as Wole Soyinka and Ola Rotimi have appropriated the image and roles of the court poet in Death and The King’s Horseman and Ovonramwen Nogbaisi respectively. This paper defines who a court poet is, his role as a maker and wordsmith, and the nature of his work and patronage. It examines the qualities he must possess and the content of his poetry. In examining the place of memory and remembering in the discharge of the poet´s duties, the paper investigates the various mnemonic and retrieval systems used by the poet to recall past accounts and great deeds of the kings. The roles of traditional court poets will be compared with the roles played by Olohun-iyo and Uzazakpo in the selected plays. The paper will also discuss what has become of oral artists in modern African societies. How viable is the art-form in the modern world with the advent of technology? Has civilization and modernity eroded their importance in society? While affirming their traditional advisory, prophetic, warning, motivational roles and as repositories of customs and culture, this paper concludes by stating the poet employs linguistic, para-linguistic and “medicinal” strategies to recall events at a given performance.

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.

Climate Change and Indigenous Akan Religio-Cultural Practices

AbstractMost national and international discussions have not seriously recognized the role religio-cultural practices of indigenous Africans can play in mitigating the effects of climate change. This paper, examines the contribution the indigenous people can make towards the mitigation of the effects of climate change, using the Akan of Ghana as a case study. Mostly, indigenous people who are the major stakeholders in land use in Ghana are marginalized when policies aimed at reducing environmental degradation are made. This has resulted in low gains in the fight against environmental degradation despite several interventions in Ghana. A recent report puts Ghana into a net-emitter of GHG bracket. This means the country has to embark on a Low Carbon Development Strategy to address the situation. This paper, therefore argues that unless indigenous people—major stakeholders of land use—are duly involved; it will be difficult to address the effects of climate change in Ghana.

Naming of Children and Meaning of Names among the Akan of Ghana: Defining Identities?

This article examines the naming of children among the Akan, which as a form of identity, appears very complex to many across the world. The Akan are mostly located along the coastal and central regions of Ghana and the Ivory Coast, with some others in the diaspora who also claim ancestry. People who trace their roots and ancestry to the Akan continue to name children according to Akan traditions. The naming of children is of great importance in all Akan societies, as it is believed that the name given to a child can affect his behaviour and destiny. Besides, the family name that is given to the child the day the child is born is very significant as it actually becomes the first name of the person. The qualitative method of enquiry was used to gather data from respondents by means of interviews and observations on the significance and processes of naming children from four Akan communities in the Brong Ahafo and Ashanti Regions of Ghana. The findings shed light on the processes, significance, and meaning of a number of Akan names that are given to people in general, and children in particular.

Indigenous African Education for Socio- Economic Development

Education in Africa has been in existence since time immemorial. This study sought to examine the activities of Lantana in Benin on their specialised training, Dogon of Mali in their world view, Futo Toro of Senegal in their various trades, Poro of Sierra Leone in the training of the youth, Takensi of Ghana in their social order and the Akan of Ghana. Also examined are the activities of the Chamba and Yoruba of Nigeria in their adult centred training and forecasting of the future respectively. The Chagga of Tanzania and the Abakwayaare were also examined on their initiative plays and economic activities. The paper also studied the Ndembu of Zambia on the past analysis and the activities of the Mijikenda of Kenya among other Kenyan tribes. The study used the theoretical framework of Emile Durkheim on the social and moral order, while the design of the study was on content analysis of available information and expectations. The study recommends positive approaches in the indigenouseducation that can be adapted, mainly for Kenya in its desire to achieve Vision 2030. However, further research should be done on specific values, foods, attitudes and the rule of law, how achieve social, political and economic progress in African nations and especially how the current economic integration blocks have followed the same pattern of the communities and their values.