THE CONCEPTS OF FORGIVENESS & JUSTICE IN AFRICAN CULTURE

[pain]

In "white" culture the two terms seem contradictory to me. Justice fundamentally defines as holding people accountable/ responsible for their behavior either rewarding them for good done or punishing them for wrongs committed. Forgiveness effectively defines as absolving a person of any accountability or responsibility for their behavior. They are not punished for their offense. They are not required to repair any damage done. There isn't even any required condition that the person is to never again commit the offense. I see largely that African people are encouraged by foreigners to forgive foreigners for their continued offenses against us.

Does anyone have any examples of the concept of forgiveness in African culture. I'm partial to Akan but any African people will do. If they have such a thing as forgiveness where they absolve a person of any responsibility/ accountability for their behavior (offense) then is there any further context/ conditions that surround this? How do they reconcile this concept with their concept of justice? Is there a recognition of a difference between an accidental offense and a willful one or is it encouraged that forgiveness should be granted to murderers, rapists, enslavers, oppressors etc?

[Sunkwa]

This is really interesting. *I believe that there is a real fundamental difference btw how Afrikans direct Forgiveness as you've defined it to foreigners and constantly employ the concept of Justice as you've also defined it, within house. *

Justice: I'm sorry to say my experience is a bit limited, but as far as I know when it comes *to shrine work, in particular amongst the Akan - there is a real tendency to seek justice for Everything minimal, like "this person stole my chicken," "this person broke my eggs," all the way up to "this man won't acknowledge that this is his baby." *And the repercussions or justice is enacted by the bosom in varying degrees based on the offence: sometimes just "catching" the person guilty of the offence where their only relief would be to confess at the shrine that caught them in additional to possibly paying a fine, or overall rectifying the situation with a specific action etc... *

However, I have not seen the same level of Justice directed towards non-Afrikans,especially on a large scale by Akan people / traditional healers. *If anything - lack of knowledge or understanding of who the enemy is - has been the 1st obstacle I feel they/we face. *If you know who the enemy is then employ your bosom/soldiers/weapons to work on your/your peoples behalf; otherwise *we continue to move in a way that never addresses the core of the issue: that your cultural/political/spiritual/economic/health/educational/legal and moral structure is being dismantled bit-by-bit under your nose via the Media prgramming/non-cultural educational systems/Christian and Muslim Religious Mantras and Institutions/Abandonment of Afrikan Languages and Afrikan Ancestors and Shrines etc... *and that because of those things we are suffering in hordes and numbers beyond our ability to conceive.

However, I do know of cases throughout history where we as Afrikans did direct our shrines toward the European - when he has been identified by the Afrikan masses as the enemy. Particularly in Haiti, Dahomey, with Nana Yaa Asantewa etc... *Recently, I believe we still have the responsibility and are actively doing work to that same effect - they may not make the "history" books yet - but the work is certainly being done - particularly by Afrikans in the Americas and the Diaspora. *The term Spiritual Warfare is a term recerntly being used a lot here in Atlanta via Mama Marimba and Abakosem Sunsum. *It was taken from a term she saw European Christians using to keep Aristide from Nationalising Vodun as the official "religion" of Haiti. *So once again, *the threat of African traditional systems is identifiable a threat to the European and them attacking offensively to protect their interests.

Forgiveness: *Culturally, I have seen this as well although it may not be "forgiveness" in the true sense that you've defined it. But, also on some smaller scales amongst the Akan - I've seen where if someone makes an offence particularly with words - it gets handled right there with a few words that essentially squash the situation. *I do not know of too many other assistances greater than that where forgiveness was employed I more see "Justice" as the defining principal and no one really argues with it - the offender or the accuser. *

On larger scales towards outsiders - we have all seen it a million times - we have forgiven far more than we've enacted Justice it feels - and with the entrance of "Christian values" *there is a new overwhelming sense of having to let go entirely the most atrocious of offences b/c "that is what Jesus would do." *Even traditionalists are picking up that same sentiment - I distinctly remember having a conversation with a mentor of mine who said we have to get over Slavery as Afrikans in the diaspora and not hold it against All White people; he even related it to his people and their conflict with the Asante. *So the perception of "the war is over" *takes over most or "we need to all unite" and stop being divided is another. *Problem is we still can't separate fundamental differences from occasional offences, and on top of that the weapon of Apathy and Pacification is world wide and we are all the victims.

Sorry for the dissertation - I hope I answered the question... *I look forward particularly to the linguistic side of Afrikan concepts of Forgiveness and Justice by other members of the group and by other traditions.

Appreciate the post.
Sunkwa

[Olùkọ́ Ọbádélé]

Akan (Twi)
pa ky¢w - to ask for forgiveness (lit. To take one’s hat off to someone)
pa - to wipe off, to remove something from the top of a surface
ky¢w - hat
ky¢wpa- the act of taking one's hat to someone else
fa ky¢ - to forgive (lit to take and give to someone as a gift. For free, without recompensing)
tua ka – literally to pay a debt, used to say to avenge or to repay someone for a transgression
akatua – the act/process of paying debts
t¡ were – literally to purchase skin, colloquially to avenge by taking the debt out of someone’s hide
also to pay a debt for killing someone out of revenge
aweret¡ - the act of skin-buying
Onyame b¢tua wo ka – Onyame will pay you back (for the debt incurred)
fa wo ho k¡di – take your body go control – said to someone when they are forgiven
Akan concept of justice: tenenees¢m – issues dealing with straightness
Woy¢ b¡ne a, b¡ne da w'anim, papa nso da w'anim; onipa w¡ baabi kor¡ - If you do badness, badness lays in front of you, goodness also lays in front of you; the human being has somewhere to go.

Yorùbá
ìforíjì – the process of taking one’s head and giving it to them as a gift
fi – take
orí – head
jì – grant to someone as a gift
gbësan – to receive payment (to avenge)
ësan – the act of revenge
san – to pay
My daughter’s name- Ësankìígbé: vengeance does not go unrepaid
ìdájô rere – good adjudication
¿ni t’ó ñ «e rere, k’ó múra sí rere, «ìkà«ìkà k’ó múra síkà rë; àtoore, àtìkà, ökan kìí gbé
Who who does goodness should get ready for goodness, one who does wickedness should get ready for wickedness; with goodness and badness, neither one goes un recompensed (Proverb from an Odù of Ifá)
Ohun t'êni bá gbìn, ohun náà ni yóò ká - what a person plants is what he/she will harvest

Wolof
baal – to give up one’s share to something
Baal naa la – I gave up my share of him/her (i.e. I forgave him/her)
baal ma – give up your share to me
judgement – ndogal: the cutting up or apportionment of correct shares to all concerned parties
fay - to avenge, lit. To pay
fayyu - to pay back oneself; to get revenge
Look for the movie Ndeysaan: The price of forgiveness (translates to "Mother of all tapeworms!", an expression of surprise or the like) as a good look at a Wolof perspective on revenge.


All three cultures reviewed here conceptually have concepts of forgiveness as analogous to forgiveness of a debt and as you can see similar conceptions of transgressions as debts to be paid. Based on this analogy, one can forgive a debt outright or after some type of payment has satisfied the person to whom the debt is owned. This may occur after you do something yourself as in taking the payment out of someone's hide or the debtor doing something to satisfy the debt either through words, actions, money, goods, services or any combination of these. Also, just like a real life debt, the person to whom the debt is owed can just absolve the debtor, however it is generally understood that all debts must be collected on at some point in time or another...the debtor may just have to pay at another time to another or a higher authority. As is stated in the Odù Ifá proverb mentioned above...no debt goes unrecompensed. Sunkwa made some excellent points as well on how we are much more willing to forget about debts from those perceived as stronger or perceived as caucrazian with the Onyame b¢tua wo ka admonishment. The love your enemy sickness, which is entirely foreign to the Akan (even the word enemy translates to "hated one" (¡tamfo)) is usually reserved for caucrazians while we will pull out all the stops against other Afrikans. With more clarity on who the actual enemy is, and less allowing the enemy to control our concept of morality, our conceptions of reciprocity can pave the way for a re-balancing of the cosmos and a restoration of justice in the world.

/me