THE CIRCLE AS EVOCATIVE OF RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN FREEDOM AND DISCIPLINE

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THE MATHEMATICAL SYMMETRIES OF ADINKRA AS MENTAL VEHICLES FOR THE EXPLORATION OF THE UNKNOWN

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The mathematical symmetry of Ifa and Adinkra take me into the exploration of shapes and patterns, patterns that describe the world without and the world within, real and imagined, visual and mental, static and dynamic, abstract patterns, numerical patterns, patterns of shape, patterns of motion, patterns of behaviour , from the material and the social worlds, from the depths of space and time, from the inner workings of the human mind [1] . Adinkra are visual symbols of which there are hundreds of distinct examples. Each one has a distinctive shape associated with a distinctive symbolic meaning. One Adinkra I find particularly intriguing is known as Kuntunkantan. It combines most evocatively the correlation of mathematical, literary, philosophical and religious possibilities that the multivalent African systems demonstrate. Kuntunkantan is particularly intriguing on account of its evocation of universes of association in amplifying the symbolic possibilities of a circle by co...
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SPECULATIVE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN ADINKRA SYMBOLISM AND FULANI COSMOGONY

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Kofi Abua-iyen argues that the impetus for the development of this symbol in terms of macrocosmic relationships with conceptions of the human person emerged from contacts between Akan traders and Fulani pastoralists. The pastoralists introduced to Akan traders their sophisticated methods for generating conceptions of integration between discrete units in their environment with increasingly larger units so as to arrive at an integrated conception of the universe. The genius of this integrative technique constituted, among other striking factors, in its use of classifications of the various patterns in the coats of their cattle. These patterns were elaborated in terms of a symbolic scheme where they served as templates for integrating a broad range of observations of and conceptions on the nature of the universe, from the materiel and non-material constitution of the human person to the metaphysical constitution of the cosmos. Akan thinkers eventually developed in abstract terms this t...
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ADINKRA AS AN INTEGRATIVE MATRIX FOR AFRICAN SYMBOL SYSTEMS

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The point that led to this challenge I now face to my existence emerges from my effort to integrate the various African symbol systems I had encountered in terms of the symbolism of Adinkra, a symbol system developed by the Akan of Ghana. It is s system of evocative visual designs, each of which is related a proverb, and at times to a story. Along with Kente symbolism, it is one of the best known symbol systems of the Akan. Like Kente, its use began from being woven on clothes. It is also used for a variety of purposes, from architecture to the contemporary use in the design of web sites. Its appeal lies in its combination of compelling visual power and profound symbolic meaning, ranging from the social to the metaphysical and spiritual. Within the conventional understanding of these visual symbols, however, it conceals a depth of possibility, however, which I stumbled upon and which has led to my present tragic condition. Akan Kente and Adinkra symbolism represent forms that that ...
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