New Book. Akan Traditional Religion. Kofi Bempah-gctid41737

[Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé]

New Book.    Akan Traditional Religion.

   The myths and the Truth.
                                                               
Author           KOFI BEMPAH    
Paperback: 388 pages.  Price: $29.95  
Publisher: BookSurge Publishing (February 15, 2010)
 
Source: New Book. Akan Traditional Religion. | General News 2010-07-18

Preview
The Akan Akomfuo (komfuo is the Akan name for a mystic, god-man and  Divine Incarnation) have perfected two purificatory rituals, Kradware  and mmusuyi, that are performed, from time to time, by the individual  traditional Akan to cleanse his 'sunsum' of evil contaminants. The  'sunsum' - the immortal Nyame component in the human personality - is  his reality and no evil impurity must be allowed to contaminate it.
These rituals form part of the precious collection of guidelines for the  realm of the spirit that has been preserved and handed down as heritage  through the efforts of selfless Akomfuo.
Over nearly two centuries of the (Akan) Asante Empire, which included  non-Akans in its population, each generation drew inspiration and  knowledge from the previous ones, especially, in the regions of  religion, mysticism, ethics, law, sociology, etc. The footprints of the  Akomfuo mark out the lines of individual and social progress. The  knowledge they have handed down about nature and consciousness is  precious.
But, instead of preserving and drawing inspiration and knowledge from  the previous generations as others before him have done, the modern  'educated' Akan is neglecting and discarding this knowledge; condemning  it as invalid and worthless, and even superstition, instead of fostering  it and using it with reverence. He is, even, ashamed to be associated  with it.
 His colonial education has destroyed his faith in the system that has  been extolled by his ancestors for millennia. He has fallen under the  impact of alien ways of thought that highlight material comfort,  physical luxury, sensual liberty and exterior display. He threads the  path of exploitation and violence, idleness and pompousness.  Insatiable  desire for fame and authority afflicts him.
Among most products of alien education, there is total lack of moral  virtues, honesty, integrity, eagerness to serve and readiness to  sacrifice. Rather, he is enslaved by the glittering fancies and  fascinations of other cultures.

He has embraced, and is enthused by, a religion which compels him to  acknowledge that he is a sinner who has to work hard to attain purity  which he already is. If the new religions made him more caring, honest,  sincere, God-fearing and less sin-loving' there would be no need for  this work.
He has assumed political and judicial roles and is ruling a society, the  majority of whose members live with, and cherishes, the traditional  knowledge he holds in contempt and disdain. His rule can be successful,  fruitful and beneficial to himself and others if he re-educates and  equips himself with the philosophy underpinning his religious/spiritual  heritage, instead of using political power to impose his new-found  religion and its values on his people.
In Akan Traditional Religion, the author has revisited the native  religion of the sophisticated Akans who built the vast Asante Empire  even before the British dreamt of an empire. He has re-examined,  analysed and reinterpreted this heritage from the Akan point of view  rather than as part of the colonial legacy in Kmt. He concludes that  the Akan traditional religion is no less holy than, or the ethical  values it espouses inferior to, any other religion.
Akan traditional religion proclaims that the one God is, and in,  everything. (This is why Akans readily accept any name used by other  communities to denote the One God). In other words, it espouses the  doctrine of unity in diversity. The individual forms (bodies) are  activated and operated by the same one God. The differences between  individuals only reflect the diversity. The self-aware individual shares  in divine power and majesty; the totally ignorant person thinks he is  the body and caters only to the needs and comforts of the body.
Identification with the body  makes him prone to suffering  from  excessive desires which expose him to fear, anxiety, lust, anger, pride,   etc. as a consequence. The heaven/hell dichotomy is absent in Akan  doctrine. All will become divine, eventually.
This principle of unity in diversity, rather than conflict and strife,  guides the Akan in his personal life, (wo yonko da ne woda; i.e. the bed  you make for your neighbour is the same one you will lie in), as well  as the organisation of his society (wo amma wo yonko antwa nkron a,  wonso wonya du ntwa;   i.e. your right to ten is can be exercised if,  and only if, your neighbour's right to nine is guaranteed).
The esoteric significance of the title 'Nana', which every Akan 'Ohene'  or 'Ohemaa' bears, has been clarified and 'Nananom Nsamanfuo',  means  the 'Enlightened Ones' rather than 'ancestral spirits'.
Anatomical analysis of prayer has shown that the Akan congregational  prayer, 'Nsa Guo' is as valid a prayer as any offered to the Supreme  Deity and has no resemblance to the Judaic tradition of libation  pouring. Therefore, 'Nsa Guo' cannot be described as 'Pouring Libation'.
The concluding chapter will make interesting reading for those toying  with the idea of Kmtywising the Christian religion or Christianising  Kmt.

CONTACT.  KOFI BEMPAH,  kbempah@hotmail.com.   Tel: (44) 0208 892 1123.

[Mawiyah Kambon]

A monumental work.  Thank you and I will follow my thanks with a purchase.

[Tenkamenin]

This is a great book
 
Anyone who wants a deeper insight in Akan sprituality will benefit greatly from this book.

[Agya Kwaku]

Where can this book be purchased from?