Page 16 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 5

TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE

were a people who had invent- Ghana created a special logo museum. It was so far ahead of and
ed a system of communication that made use of two Adinkra beyond what the west would like us
to capture the world around symbols: Nsoromma which to believe. As the womb of mankind,
them and that their dismissal as is a star that symbolizes the we carry a life that exceeds this
occultic and evil was just one children of the heavens and foolishness called modernity and
more way to ensure that the Af- Fawohodie which symbolizes the vanity fair that man has chosen
rikan felt, thought and believed emancipation, freedom and to preoccupy himself with. These
less of himself than he ought independence. They integrat- empty and vain pursuits are gradual-
– and therefore more easily ed these two symbols with an ly draining us of the essence of God
embraced a culture designed to illustration of the waves of the in us and what His essence is being
control and subjugate him. This Afrikan seas in the colors of Af- traded for, I can assure you has no
is a major tragedy and a crime rika: Red (their toils), gold (their eternal place or value to speak of.
committed against the Afrikans wealth) and green (the fertility None.
by the colonialists and those of the people). The waves faced
missionaries or church officials backward, representing the
who were working under their return.
influence to erode the confi- Afrika’s depth of spirituality and
dence of our people. profundity of cultural expression
has been badly eroded and
There are about 400 Adinkra relegated to the realm of the
symbols. According to Willis,
these symbols have been in
use for about two hundred
years and there are 70 or 80
‘core symbols’ that convey the
philosophy, beliefs, social val-
ues, history and wisdom of the
Akan and the Gyaaman of Ivory
Coast. Some of those symbols
and their associated meanings
are captured at the beginning of
this article. Others can be found
online for the enthusiast who
is seeking to know more about
this.
The symbols are used either
alone or paired with other
symbols in order to convey a
specific meaning. For instance,
for the 2019 Year of the Return,

Adinkra symbol usage for
Ghana 2019 year of return.

Adinkra textile artist working

16 | heal . restore . rebirth . Afrika