“Tete wɔ bi ka, tete wɔ bi kyerɛ” : The remaking of a church community through Adinkra symbolism
Main Article Content
Abstract
This study set out to explore a Christian Church community’s perception of how indigenous philosophies, values and spiritualities encoded in Adinkra symbols influence the making of a church community. The study examines the following: (i) How the symbols, rituals and language embodied in Adinkra symbols have been incorporated into the Grace Presbyterian Church, West Legon, Accra (ii) How this community reconciles both worlds and (iii) How the coming together of two parallel traditions-African and European shape the experiences of the church community. Multiple approaches including semi-structured interviews, photo and video ethnography were employed for data collection (N=30). Key observations made from this study include the repackaging of the typical Reformed approach to worship and the creation of a productive and explorative space for the construction of new religious meanings and experiences.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
References
Acheampong, Peter. Christian Values in Adinkra Symbols. University Printing Press, 2007.
Amenga-Etego, Rose Mary. “Crossing Research Boundaries: ‘Our Nankani Daughter’ in Academia.” Journal for the Study of the Religions of Africa and Its Diaspora, vol. 4, no. 1, 2018, pp. 1-11.
Amoateng, Kofi A. An Introduction to Symbolic Theology: The Case of Adinkra Symbols of the Akan People of Ghana. Asempa Publishers, 2022.
Ansah, Kwaw, director. Heritage Africa. Film Africa Production, 1989.
Arthur, Kojo G. F. Cloth as Metaphor: Rereading the Adinkra Cloth Symbols of the Akan of Ghana. Afoaks Printing Press, 2017.
Baafi. Interview. Conducted by Felicity Apaah, 13 Nov. 2022.
Bediako, Kwame. Christianity in Africa: The Renewal of Non-Western Religion. Regnum Africa, 2014.
Bediako, Kwame. Jesus in Africa: The Christian Gospel in African History and Experience. Regnum Africa, 2013.
Degbe, Simon K. “Sumsum Akwankyεrε: Emerging Modes of Mediation and Appropriation of Spiritual Power in Sections of Ghanaian Christianity.” Journal of Pentecostal Theology, vol. 24, no. 2, 2015, pp. 270-289.
Djan. Interview. Conducted by Felicity Apaah, 12 Dec. 2022.
Dzobo, N. K. “African Symbols and Proverbs as Sources of Knowledge.” Person and Community: Ghanaian Philosophical Studies I, edited by Kwasi Wiredu and Kwame Gyekye, vol. 1, Africa: CRVP Series II, 1992.
Ekem, John. Priesthood in Context: A Study of Priesthood in Some Christian and Primal Communities of Ghana and Its Relevance for Mother-Tongue Biblical Interpretations. Son Life Press, 2009.
“Ghana’s Adinkra Symbols Get a Major Feature on Newly-Launched Land Rover.” GhanaWeb, 10 Dec. 2022, www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Ghana-s-Adinkra-symbols-get-a-major-feature-on-newly-launched-Land-Rover-1678013.
Gyekye, Kwame. “African Ethics.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2010, plato.stanford.edu/entries/african-ethics/.
Hull, John. What Prevents Christian Adults from Learning? SCM Press, 1985.
Jacobs, Julia. “The ‘Black Lives Matter’ Street Art That Contains Multitudes.” The New York Times, 16 July 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/07/16/arts/design/black-lives-matter-murals-new-york.html.
Jensen, Robin Margaret. Understanding Early Christian Art. Routledge, 2005.
Jensen, Robin Margaret. “The Arts in Protestant Worship.” Theology Today, vol. 58, no. 3, 2001, pp. 359-368.
Kwakye. Interview. Conducted by Felicity Apaah, 10 Feb. 2023.
Obeng, Pashington. Asante Catholicism: Religious and Cultural Reproduction among the Akan of Ghana. E. J. Brill, 1996.
Ossom-Batsa, George, and Felicity Apaah. “Rethinking the ‘Great Commission’: The Incorporation of Akan Indigenous Symbols into Christian Worship.” International Review of Missions, vol. 107, no. 1, 2018, pp. 261-278.
Parrinder, Geoffrey. West African Religion. Epworth Press, 1949.
Vlčková, Michaela. “The Nature of Certainty in Ritual.” Theologica, vol. 9, no. 2, 2019, pp. 35-42.
Westermann, Dietrich. Africa and Christianity: The Duff Lectures, 1935. Oxford University Press, 1937.
Willis, Bruce W. The Adinkra Dictionary: A Visual Primer on the Languages of Adinkra. The Pyramid Complex, 1998.