Introduction
This essay examines and discusses aspects of the belief system of the Akan people, who represent the largest ethnic grouping in the African country of Ghana, comprising in total just under half of Ghana’s entire population. Aspects of the Akan culture and beliefs covered within the paragraphs of this essay include their concepts of God and of Evil, their philosophy of the Person, and the links between the symbolic significance of their heritage art and their culture and beliefs. The aim is to gain some insight into the Akan belief system.
The Akan Concept of God
According to Wiredu (1998), the Akan religion includes “an unmistakable belief in a supreme being” (p.29). Wiredu claims to speak with some authority on such matters as he is himself an Akan by birth and upbringing (p.28). He notes that this being or God is known by various names, including Nyame (the “most often used”), which Wiredu claims has a meaning approximating to “Absolute satisfier”, then there is Onyankopon which he suggests has a literal meaning of “He who is alone great” (p.29). Then there is the name Twediampon which translates as “He upon whom you lean and do not fall,” then the name that Wiredu sees as possibly the most important cosmologically: Oboade, for which Wiredu offers the provisional meaning of Creator (p.29). This leads on to the importance of cosmology in the Akan belief system. They believe that although God created the world, he is not “apart from the Universe” but God and the world together constitute a “totality” of existence (p.29).
Wiredu also points out that referring to God as the creator can be interpreted as creating things from nothing, whereas in Akan philosophy that notion makes no sense, because the Akan meaning of creation is more akin to making something from raw materials, such as a carpenter making a chair from wood or a writer creating a book from his words and thoughts (p.29-30). Going back to the name Oboade, Wiredu clarifies the Akan meaning as “the maker of things” rather than creator, derived from Bo meaning to make and ade meaning thing, but emphasizing that in Akan the important nuance of its meaning is that “you only make something with something” (p.30). In discussing that concept, Wiredu sees the fundamental logic on which it based, suggesting that to aver that something can come out of nothing is as illogical as stating that two plus two equals fifty, making the Akan view of things eminently reasonable (p.30), and supporting the Akan concept of the supreme being as “a cosmic architect rather than a creator out of nothing” (p.31). Their belief concept implies a hierarchical structure headed by God at the top, above various “extra-human” entities and forces, then the human race, other animals, plant life, and the world’s inanimate objects – all in that order, and regulated by cosmic law (p.31). Wiredu dismisses the popular view that Africans believe that everything around us possesses life. In contrast, Akans believe for example that a lump of dead wood is most definitely dead, as is any dead body (p.31).
Wiredu also notes an important distinction between the Akan idea of God compared with other religious doctrines; in the Akan culture the religious aspect “consists solely in the unconditional veneration for God and trust in his power and goodness-i.e., in his perfection.” There is no worshipping of God as such, which in Wiredu’s opinion is mistakenly thought to be necessary for true believers, and in his view is unlikely to be either welcomed or approved of by what is said to be a perfect being (p.34).
The Akan Concept of Evil
The conventional religious view is that if God is so benevolent and so all-powerful, why does evil exist in the world? The view of Gyekye as quoted by Wiredu is that the Akan, whilst recognizing the existence of evil, do not see that as inconsistent with their god being “omnipotent and wholly good.”In their view, the reason that evil exists is because the Creator Oboade gave humans freedom of will, which they are exercising, thus giving rise to evil (p.39). However, as Wiredu notes that this reason (known as the “free-will defense”), does not satisfactorily explain why God does not act to forestall or prevent evil acts. Wiredu also notes (p.40) that in Akan society, there is a belief that good cannot exist without evil, as indicated by a common Akan saying: “Se biribi ansee a, biribi nye yie” which translates to: “if something does not go wrong, something does not go right.” Having made that point, Wiredu does concede that not all Akans share that same view and that for some Akans; their God’s powers are accepted as falling somewhat short of total omnipotence (p.41). This divergence of opinion suggests to Wiredu that Akan thinking is not a mindless unanimity but “demonstrates a vitality of philosophical thought in an African traditional society”.
The Akan Philosophy of the Person
Wingo (2006-2008) claims that the existence of the Akan people’s culture dates back to earlier than the 13th century. He notes that it encompasses “a rich conceptual system complete with metaphysical, moral, and epistemological aspects.” Within that cultural framework and of special interest is their central concept of persons, which “informs a variety of social institutions, practices, and judgments about personal identity, moral responsibility, and the proper relationship both among individuals and between individuals and community.” That cultural overview – according to Wingo – is how the Akan conception of the person is seen, though from somewhat differing perspectives, by Kwasi Wiredu (cited earlier in this essay) and Kwame Gyekye, who Wingo describes as “two major contemporary Akan philosophers.” According to Wingo, Akan conceptions of personhood differ from those of the West in a number of ways, including: 1) its continuous nature, 2) how individuals actually achieve total personhood, and how that conception implicates 3) the relationships that exist between individuals and their community and 4) how freedom and responsibility are perceived. Overall, according to Wingo, these concepts of personhood are important in both shaping and supporting their social structure, which is highly communal in nature.
Links between Akan Art and Beliefs
In Akan culture, people who have the skills and the abilities to interpret ideas into art expressing visual forms are greatly respected in their society. They are known as dwumfour, meaning craftsman or craftswoman, according to gender (Labi, 2011, p.44). According to Labi, the art works they produce are “symbolic statements of attributes based on beliefs, theories and values, which both the artist and public appreciate.” Examples include idealized human figures to symbolize the Akan concepts of beauty (p.44). Geometric shapes and colors used all have specific meanings in Akan culture, such as the circle which symbolizes God’s presence and power and the male in society. In the same way, a square or rectangular shape symbolizes God’s or man’s sanctity as well as power of a territorial nature and a dominant male ruler. Symbolically, a triangular locket on a chain is considered as female, though it is often worn by Akan chiefs on their chests and worn in other places and on other garments, to indicate the male-female relationship and the beauty derived from combining the two. The female influence in life and in society is represented by a crescent moon, which, when accompanied by a star symbol symbolizes faithfulness of a female in love (p.45).
Labi reports that colors perhaps have even more symbolic meanings than shapes, and are believed to have “deep, abstract, spiritual values.” For example gold, which is believed to symbolize the test of time, “represents warmth, royalty, immortality and influence on society” whilst the color white is a symbol of purity, virtue, virginity, joy, victory, and all the virtuous, spiritual qualities of God and the deified ancestral spirits.” The symbolic meanings of the color green are “newness, fertility, vitality, and new growth”, whilst black is related to “vice, deep feelings of melancholy, death, tragedy, misfortune, and such vicious spiritual entities as the devil.” Red symbolic associations are not far removed from those of black and are “melancholy and misfortune,” or symbolically to represent the demise of a close relative, or acts of war, calamity or danger (p.45).
Labi states that because the Akan had no written way of documenting their history at least until the fifteenth century, their history tended to be documented in forms that were intangible but were supported and augmented by symbolic tangible works of art. That makes the Akan art acquire importance as elements of their history, culture, and religion, as well as recording the politics and notable events in their history (p.45).
Labi emphasizes that the Akan belief system, as manifested in their art, is important in their culture and that for the Akan, “belief in the intangible is just as real as belief in the visible.” As a consequence, belief is a key part of Akan life and in their everyday life finds expression in art and in other forms. An example given by Labi is that craftsmen have to seek the permission of their God before they use natural resources to create something. Essentially – according to Labi – religion is central to Akan art. He also sees the Akan belief system as requiring them to live “in harmony with their environment.” When a seasonal change occurs, or there is a good rain, a plentiful harvest or a successful catch, there are ceremonies to mark the event, involving not just the community but the gods or deities and ancestors, too (p.45).
Conclusions
The research undertaken to compile this essay has shown that the Akan do indeed have a strong and intricate belief system that influences their everyday life and has features that could well be advantageous to other societies if emulated.
References:
Labi, Kwame, Amoah. (2009). “Reading the intangible heritage in tangible Akan art.” International Journal of Intangible Heritage, Vol. 04 (2009), 42-57. Retrieved from http://www.traditionalafricanart.net/Notes/Reading_the_intangible_heritage_in_tangible_Akan_art%5B1%5D.pdf
Wingo, Ajume. (2006-2008). “Akan Philosophy of the Person.” The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2008 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (Ed.). Retrieved from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/akan-person/
Wiredu, K. (1998). “Toward Decolonizing African Philosophy And Religion.” African Studies Quarterly | Volume 1, Issue 4 | 1998. Retrieved from http://africa.ufl.edu/asq/v1/4/3.pdf
